


Devil's Dance Floor

by gypsiangel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Past/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Remus Lupin, Protective Sirius Black, Remus has a kid, Things go sailing waaaaay off from canon, a different take on what happened after the Mauraders graduated from Hogwarts, past/referenced child neglect, primary slash pairing, wizarding bigotry and prejudice, wolfstar fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-07-24 07:57:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 59,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7500303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gypsiangel/pseuds/gypsiangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I need help, right now. And I need Lily. Merlin, I need Madame Pomfrey. I need… I need to sit down.” And because reaction had set in and his knees were shaking, Remus sat on the edge of the bed, still holding his precious burden.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my absolute first foray into a Marauders fic, and my first try at a Sirius/Remus pairing, so please go easy on me :) I'm kinda iffy on sending this out there, but *shrug* why not? Helpful comments are incredibly welcome and if there's any glaring WTF kind of mistakes, I won't cry if you point them out kindly... for the most part. Thanks for reading!

*~*~*

            He’d known the entire day was going to be off from the moment he groggily opened his eyes on that quiet Saturday morning in early April. Not necessarily the easiest, or nicest person when he first woke up, Remus Lupin was rather grateful to live alone and not have any of his friends over to make noise and push him to communicate in full sentences that didn’t contain multiple uses of the words _fuck_ , or _bugger_. He sat on the edge of his bed and just held his head in his hands for a long time. It was still a couple weeks away from the full moon, so there shouldn’t have been any reason for him to feel as if he’d been hit by a rogue bludger and left for dead.

            He heard a crash and a groan from the living room and opened blurry eyes to stare at his half-open bedroom door. That’s right. He did have friends over. Or at least, he was fairly positive that he at least had _one_ of his three friends crashed out on the sofa in the parlor. Maybe? His memories of the night before were vague and covered with a haze of exhaustion and possible alcohol poisoning.

            His questions were answered when a lean form with sleep tangled black hair tumbled through his bedroom door and collapsed on top of him, sending both of them into the fluff of blankets on the bed. “S’rius,” Remus grumbled and pushed at his boneless friend half-heartedly, then gave up and just laid there. “This is your fault.”

            There was an unintelligible grumble, then Remus shivered as his friend’s breath tickled the side of his neck. “You’re the one that lives near the pub, mate.”

            “You’re the one that drug me out to compare muggle spirits to wizard shite. That fucking combination almost killed me.” As soon as he said it, he remembered the silver flasks James and Sirius had smuggled into the pub and proceeded to convince him and Peter that it was a good idea to do back to back shots with muggle whiskey. Or was that rum? He had no flashes of brilliance and just thinking of it made his stomach turn.

            “You’re being loud.” There was a whimper to Sirius’s voice and Remus rolled his eyes. He attempted to move his friend again, but merely jostled them both enough to send nausea spinning faster in their guts. “Stop m’ving, Moony.”

            “I think Prongs left some hangover potion from the last time you all got me shitty drunk.” Remus did keep his voice down this time, but only because his own ears were ringing with the pain of headache.

            “Just lie still and maybe it’ll stop moving,” Sirius whispered. He rubbed his face against Remus’s shoulder and adjusted his body just slightly so that he was more comfortable, but made no move to get off him.

            “If you’d get the fuck off me, I could get the potion and we’d both feel better.” But the words were half-hearted at best and Remus found himself drifting back off to sleep with the warm weight of his best friend snuggled firmly across his chest and torso.

            He had no idea how long they dozed like that before there was a loud pounding on his front door that jolted him awake enough to push Sirius off to the side. Groaning as the world spun, Remus ignored the whined protest from Sirius and stumbled into the foyer of his little cottage. When he opened the door, he just stood there, frozen for a long moment as he stared at the red-faced woman poised with her fist up to let it down on the heavy wood once more.

            “Can I help you?” Remus couldn’t stop the growl in his voice, no more than he could stop the blood-shot, painful squint into the sunlit front garden.

            The woman, who he could see was dressed in torn muggle jeans and a stained pink t-shirt that had a scoop neck so low he could see the bits of lace covering her ample breasts, glared at him through heavy eyeliner and smeared mascara. She shoved at messy ginger curls, “I can’t deal with the fucking freak anymore. Your fault, your problem now.” With that, she jerked something forward from behind her and flung it at him. He realized with a sickened start that it was a child- who hadn’t even cried out at the rough treatment.

            “The fuck are you on about,” he asked and tried racking his aching brain to remember when he’d ever seen her before. He’d caught the kid, who was a thin, undersized girl, he noted as he automatically held her against his hip. She stared up at him with exotic amber eyes that were wet with upset, but she didn’t make a sound. She didn’t cry, and she didn’t flinch, she just stared at him solemnly. He looked back up and the woman was already halfway to the gate. “Stop! I need an explanation!”

            “Her name’s Maggie, she’s three, and she’s yours.” She stopped just outside the gate and hefted a bright pink duffle that had seen better days. She tossed it in their general direction. “Papers are in there, as is most of her shit. I don’t fucking need it anymore.”

            He didn’t say anything else as she stepped five steps off into the street, then disapparated with a slight pop. At least that explained one thing. She was a witch. But he still couldn’t remember where he knew her. If the child was three years old, then it had been around four since he’d… Fuck. That was right around Hogwarts graduation. Another night in muggle London with Sirius, James, and Peter and magicked identification cards that had blazed quickly into a barely remembered haze. He vaguely remembered a bird with red hair and freckles that covered a lot more than just her powdered cheeks.

           He heard a rustle as the child shifted and he looked back down at her. She had his eyes, and his mouth. _Merlin’s beard,_ she was his image, only where his own hair was a rather light golden brown, hers was a red gold that curled in dirty ringlets around her shoulders. “Let’s get you inside, yeah,” he asked, gentling both his hold and his tone. She blinked and her lower lip trembled before she firmed it. It broke his heart a little as he carried her as if he were handling the most fragile bit of glass. She shuddered and then seemed to melt into him, her stick thin arms wrapping around his neck.

            He had no fucking clue how to take care of a kid. Going on instinct and the fact that she was so goddamned light, even for a girl barely three years old, he asked, “Are you hungry?”

            She didn’t answer, just seemed to burrow closer. As he went into the small, somewhat cluttered kitchen, he wondered what to feed her. When he went to set her down on the counter, she tightened her grip and refused to let go. “All right then,” he murmured gently and carried her with him to the icebox. “How about some… some… Cereal?” He lifted the milk carton and opened it one handed, took a sniff and recoiled. “Maybe not. All right, I can do eggs. Eggs good? Eggs are good.”

            He needed help. Feeling a bit of panic rising in his chest, he walked through to his bedroom and shook the bare foot sticking out from the bottom of his blankets. “Sirius, I need help.”

            There was a grumble and movement as Sirius rolled over at blinked blearily up at him. “Wha’s goin’ on, Moony?”

            “I need help, right now. And I need Lily. Merlin, I need Madame Pomfrey. I need… I need to sit down.” And because reaction had set in and his knees were shaking, Remus sat on the edge of the bed, still holding his precious burden.

            “Moony, you’re scaring me a bit right now, mate. What happened?” Sirius finally sat up properly with a half-groan, and froze when he realized that his friend had something attached to him. “What’s this?”

            “Her name is Maggie, she’s three years, and she’s mine.”

*~*~*

            “Well, hello there little love,” Lily was all gentle smiles and tender touches when she and James flooed in not a half hour after Sirius sent a near incomprehensible message that equated to, _Remus, kid, help!_ After Remus had explained about the strange woman and how he knew that the girl was his, no matter what the probability was, they had all exchanged glances and had gone into a flurry of motion.

            James went into the kitchen to fix breakfast, one of the few meals he was rather good at, and Sirius took the duffle bag into the study where he unceremoniously cleared the desk of everything and upended the contents. There were several hastily packed outfits- none of which were properly laundered and were torn and stained. The snob in him wrinkled his nose and banished them immediately, swearing that no niece of his was going to be wearing such rags. There were no toys or stuffed animals, nothing to show of any sort of comfort items he knew from his limited exposure to his cousin Andromeda’s spawn was essential to the well-being of anything under the age of six. He focused instead on the bundle of paperwork that had been promised.

            A wizarding birth certificate proclaimed her full name as Magdalena Ann Lupin, her mother as ‘Martha Greene’ and the father as ‘Remus Lupin’, and that he conceded was that. He knew that St. Mungos had a paternity spell that was one hundred percent accurate and was used primarily with unwed, underaged, or unfit mothers to make sure that the other parent would be contacted- or detained- if needed. There’d been more than one claim on him through the years, all proving false.

            There was also a muggle certificate of birth, this one not proclaiming a father at all, that space left blank. There wasn’t a note of explanation that he’d been hoping for mixed in with the documents. There hadn’t been anything but the pitiful bank of clothing. He sat back on the desk chair and just stared for a long moment. He slowly looked around the barely livable study, which had once been the tiny second bedroom. The place was falling apart around his friend’s ears, but it was dirt cheap while Remus had been sorting through his post-Hogwarts options. He’d accepted a position at the local market, ringing up groceries and doing the occasional delivery. It was barely enough to keep a roof over his head while he had applied for muggle university and started taking some classes. But the owner, a rough old man that had once served as a ministry guard, didn’t have any problems with Remus needing time off around the full moon. He’d gruffly told Remus that his life had been saved by ‘one of your kind’ once, and he’d never gotten the chance to repay the favor.

             With Professor Dumbledore’s help, Remus had been able to procure the right kinds of documentation to further his education in muggle London, since his options in the wizarding society were so limited. It was slow going, but he’d been able to get some scholarships, again with help from his former headmaster. This fall was supposed to be his first full term, the classes he’d been taking had been primarily to get him up to speed with non-magical sciences and basic technology. He’d impressed the hell out of his tutors and was well on his way to actually making something of a career. Sirius frowned at the ceiling and pondered his options. There was no way in hell he was going to let this development derail everything his friend had worked so hard for.

            Sirius had been offering to share a flat with him since before graduation, but Remus had politely refused, giving the bullshit reason that he wanted a bit of space to just be for a while after Hogwarts. It had stung a little, but he’d left it alone for the time being. But now there was no way Remus could do this on this own, and it was the perfect opportunity to make sure things were all right for him. And in a very selfish way, make things all right for Sirius, himself. He missed seeing Remus every day. They still saw each other a lot more than what was deemed ‘normal’, even for best mates, but it was far from being the same.

            There was a clatter and a cry from the other end of the cottage and Sirius was broken from his reverie. When he came to the door of the kitchen, he was greeted with the sight of a half-naked little girl clinging to Remus. His eyes widened and fury twisted his gut as he saw the bruises and scrapes covering the pale skin of the trembling child. He met Remus’s wide, horrified gaze and felt sick.

            “Shh, it’s all right, Maggie,” his friend murmured before closing his eyes and pressing his face into his cub’s hair. “It’s all right, little one. No one’s gonna hurt you, not now and not ever again.”

            Lily looked like she was about to simultaneously burst into tears or hex something. There were hot spots of color in her cheeks as she very calmly turned around and tried to take an even breath. “We need to get her to Poppy. She can do a full, official exam and tell us how to take care of her properly.”

            “I’ll contact the Child Welfare department at the ministry,” James started, already moving toward the fireplace.

            “No!” They all froze when Remus all but shouted at them. He gentled his voice and rubbed a large hand over the child’s back soothingly. She trembled and buried her face in his chest. “No, they’ll take her away. Because of what I am, they’ll take her away, and I can’t have that.”

            “But her mother,” Lily all but spat.

            “Her mother will get what’s coming to her soon enough,” Remus interrupted darkly, “But I can’t do it through the ministry. I’m on lists, remember?”

           James looked like he wanted to argue for a moment, then subsided with a scowl. “I’m working to change that, mate. But you’re right.”

            Remus’s smile was sad, but he nodded. Looking at Lily, he said, “But you’re right, we need to go to Madame Pomfrey. I was due to go in anyway. Slughorn has the wolfsbane potion ready for me.” He paled. “Oh, Merlin. What about that time of the month? What am I going to do? What if I-?”

            “Remus, sit down,” Sirius told him and guided him to the kitchen chair already pulled away from the table. He squatted down next to them, focusing on the child. Her eyes were swollen and red with upset and Sirius felt as if his heart were somewhere near his feet. He spoke to her softly, reaching out slowly to take one of her tiny hands, disentangling it from Remus’s shirt. “I’m Sirius, Maggie. I know things are very scary for you, but you’re in a safe place now. May I take you for a minute while your da takes a bit of a breather?”

            Everyone seemed to hold their breath as she searched his face for a long moment before letting out a tremulous breath and let go of Remus for the first time since coming into his care. She immediately reached for Sirius. “What do you think of a bath? We can get you clean while our Lily goes for some clean clothes for you. How does that sound, darling?”

            The girl hiccupped, but nodded. Remus looked shell shocked as his best friend, who to his knowledge had absolutely no real experience with kids, charmed the traumatized toddler. Lily gave herself a shake and said, “Right. I’ll just nip down to the market and see what I can see. James?”

            “I’ll keep things sorted here.” She raised her eyebrow at her fiancé and then smiled at the thought that he really had changed since coming away from Hogwarts and starting his studies for a ministry career. She pressed a kiss to the side of Remus’s head and told him, “It’ll be all right, Lupin. We’ve got this, yeah?”

            Sirius had never in his life given anyone (human or otherwise) a bath, but he knew that the little one would feel much better clean. And it would give him a chance to see for himself what kind of monstrous home she’d come from. As the tub filled with warm water and bubbles, he kept up a nonsensical, one-sided conversation. “And your da is a good bloke,” he was saying now. “A big fluffy giant that…” He swallowed as he set her down on top of the closed toilet lid and his words trailed away.

            She was staring at him silently, her amber irises rimmed with a thin line of green- just like Remus. When she shivered, he snapped out of it and smiled as he lifted her over and into the water with a bit of forced cheer. “Here we go! Into the waters with you.”

            She stiffened and looked for a second as if she were going to shout and fight to get out. “Shh,” he soothed, steadying her. “It’s all right. The water’s warm, love, not too hot and not too cold. It’s all right. We’re just gonna get you clean, then when Lil’s back, we’ll get you in some good smelling clothes. How does that sound?”

            After a moment, Maggie allowed herself to sink into the water. Sirius rolled his shirt sleeves up and proceeded to gently scrub the grime away while still keeping up a steady stream of words. When it came time to wash her hair, she jerked away and looked terrified for a second. “It’s all right,” he repeated for what felt like the hundredth time, “It’s okay, little love. We need to get your pretty curls clean, yeah?”

            She looked like she was going to cry again, her tiny face scrunched up as she closed her eyes. “I’ve got you, poppet.” He’d used more pet names in the last twenty minutes than he had ever used in his life. It was getting redundant, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. His voice seemed to lull her, and Sirius was more than happy to keep a gentle flow of commentary. When her hair was clean, he stood her up and wrapped her in a threadbare towel that still seemed to be incredibly soft. It was so utterly _Remus_ that he felt a surge of affection that had little to do with the child in his arms. Her teeth chattered in the cool air and he quickly went into the front parlor where the fire was thankfully giving off some sort of heat.

           “I got some pajamas and a couple dresses, a few pairs of trousers and blouses,” Lily said the moment she saw them, smiling at the now clean and damp girl. “I hope purple and yellow are good colors, Maggie. I detest pink, and they didn’t have much else. Though I’m sure we can change the color for you easy enough.”

           Maggie saw Remus and reached for him with a tiny sound that was a cross between a gasp and a whimper. He took her back with a miniscule smile and moved them closer to the fire. Quietly, he finished drying her off and dressed her in a pair of warm pajamas that were too big, but more than serviceable. “Are you tired, little one,” he asked, taking the quilt that Sirius had filched from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her. She nodded, her eyes drooping. “You’re safe to sleep. No one’s to bother you.”

           She sighed and it was nearly painful to watch her slowly relax into sleep.

           “I spoke to Poppy,” Remus said after a long moment where all of the adults just sat in the quiet and looked at each other. “She’s more than happy to look us over. She has a free afternoon and said it’d be better for us to go to her, as she has the potion stores and such at hand in the infirmary. And… and she’s promised to keep this off the charts.”

           “I’m coming with you,” Sirius told him firmly, perching on the arm of his chair, close enough for Remus to smell the remnants of his cologne from the night before and the mix of bath time and a musk that was just Sirius. He took far more comfort from it, and the hand that stroked the back of his head and fell on his neck, than he felt he really should.

           “Thank you,” he murmured and stared down at the girl in his arms. He choked up briefly, his throat getting impossibly tight. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I know I’ve only had her less than half a day, but I can’t let her go. It’ll ruin all my… all my pursuits of muggle university and finding a real career because it’s not just me now. But I can’t let her… I can’t let them take her.”

           “She’s not going anywhere,” Lily said, and squatted down in front of him. Her green eyes were firmly fixed on his. “And you’re not leaving your studies. We’ll work it out, Remus.”

            “I want you to move in with me,” Sirius blurted, then flushed a little when Remus jerked his head up to stare at him, and Lily and James both smirked knowingly. Well, that wasn’t exactly how he wanted to approach it. “Uncle Alphard left me his estate, didn’t he? There’s a townhome on the outskirts of London that I’ve been eyeing, it’s warded and under Fidelis, so all we’d need to do is change secret keepers and be done. I don’t want to live in it alone, and it’s all paid for. All you’d have to do is help with upkeep and the grocery bill. It’s close enough to the university that traveling wouldn’t be much of an issue.”

            “You’ve put some thought to this, haven’t you,” James laughed and clapped his hand on Sirius’s shoulder. “Social creature, you.”

            “Of course,” Sirius batted his hand back playfully, “If Moony hadn’t had this crop up, I was considering a bit of arson to convince him this place was a firetrap. There’s tape on the garden door, for Merlin’s sake!”

             “Padfoot,” Remus said seriously and the firelight hit his face in just the right way to skip hearts. “It won’t be easy. Children aren’t… they’re not… She’s going to be difficult.”

             “Listen, Moons. If I can put up with you on your monthly, I can put up with a little one with trauma issues.” He’d tried for a bit of levity, but it fell flat. The truth of it was, he didn’t want her to be placed with anyone else either. He saw more than a bit of himself in the shadowed eyes and frightened posture. Remus must have seen something in his expression, because he disentangled a hand from the blankets and squeezed his knee comfortingly.

              “Now, shall we floo to Hogsmeade, then off to Hogwarts?”

*~*~*


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Thank you guys for the comments and kudos! :) It really does help keep the story flowing if I know people are actually enjoying it.

*~*~*

 

            Madame Pomfrey greeted them with a smile and an offer of tea. Remus declined, his stomach too jumpy to even consider ingesting anything. Sirius took her up on it, then promptly set it aside and forgot about it. “So, this is our charge,” she said cheerfully, eyeing the girl still sleeping soundly in Remus’s arms. She hadn’t stirred once during the trip, worrying them further. Hogsmeade was busy and noisy on a Saturday afternoon, bustling with people going about their shopping. Sirius didn’t know how _anyone_ could sleep going through the floo system, no matter how comfortable it must have been resting against Remus’s broad shoulder.

            “This is Maggie,” Remus said quietly. “Her mum dropped her at my feet this morning and then disappeared. She’s covered in bruises and I don’t think she’d had a bath in days.”

            “The clothing that woman left with her were disgusting,” Sirius added, lip curling.

            “Let’s see then,” Poppy reached for the child, moving the blanket efficiently. The second the nurse touched her, the toddler jerked and let out a startled cry. “It’s all right, poppet. I just want to get a look at you.”

            For the first time since Lily tried to touch her that morning, Maggie cried and fought to get away. Remus stepped away and changed his hold on her, wrapping one arm across her back with his hand cradling the back of her head. Murmuring comforting words, he rocked her gently until her crying slowed to sniffling. “Poppy is a friend, Maggie,” he told her, speaking gently against her hair. “She’s just going to make sure you’re all right. I’m right here and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

            The girl nodded, but she still looked frightened as they moved to one of the beds. “I’ll give her a calming draught after I do the first scan,” Poppy said, not unkindly. “I need to make sure there’s nothing for it to react with.”

            Remus laid Maggie down on the infirmary bed, and it didn’t escape him that it was one that he’d spent plenty of his Hogwarts career in. She clung to him with a whine, but finally subsided when Sirius came up next to them and stroked his fingers through her hair while Remus kept her hand. Poppy went around the opposite side of the bed, giving the two men an indulgent smile.

            As the nurse moved her wand in patterns over her, Maggie kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Sirius rested his hand on Remus’s lower back, a solid gesture that grounded him and reminded him that he wasn’t there alone. The parchment that appeared after a few minutes was short, but made Poppy’s eyes snap as she looked it over. Her nostrils flared in anger and she stepped back abruptly to hustle into her office area.

            “Remus, I believe it would be best for you to give her these, as I’m not positive she’ll take them from me.” He was handed three vials, and nodded in understanding when she explained, “Calming drought, healing potion, and one for nutrients.”

            Sirius held his hands out for her and Maggie gladly climbed into his lap, making some of the ice in Poppy’s spine melt a little. She had always known there was a soft soul mixed in with all the mischief. Remus knelt down and it wasn’t long before Maggie had swallowed the potions, her little face screwing up at the taste. She took the pumpkin juice after eyeballing it distrustfully. As soon as she realized it was sweet and clean tasting, she drained the cup eagerly.

            With her body mass what it was, the potions took effect quickly and her eyes drifted closed again, body going limp against Sirius’s chest. “Severe malnutrition, for starters. I’ll be sending home a supply of nutrient elixirs that should be added with every meal. She needs to eat small meals every couple of hours, and I’ll send a book home with you to help in knowing what to feed her. I believe we got her in time to reverse many of the ill effects, gentlemen. It shouldn’t influence her overall growth much.” She swallowed hard on her anger before speaking again, “Through her short life, I can tell you that child has suffered. Head trauma is the most concerning at this point, and between that and the stress of living in an abusive and neglectful home, this is going to be an uphill battle for you, Remus.”

            “What sort of head trauma,” Remus asked, his eyes dark as he stared over at the girl that had irrevocably changed his life in a matter of hours. He felt sick at the thought of anyone mistreating a child to the point that their very development could be stunted. “And how… Do you know how it might affect her going forward?”

            Poppy closed her eyes briefly, looking pained. She handed over the parchment stepping in close to point out the individual injuries and their severity. “To be brutally honest, if it weren’t for her inherent magic and the… characteristics she inherited from you, there is a chance that she may not have survived at all. The head injury last year was brutal enough to leave skull fractures. Someone had thought to heal some of it, but even with the best of healers, some things never completely go away. Has she spoken yet? Has there been any sort of intelligent communication?”

            Remus felt nausea swim up in his throat and he swallowed hard around it. “I thought it was just the circumstances. Do you believe that she may be…” he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

            Poppy shook her head sadly, “You may be right and it was just the circumstances. I’m just trying to inform you of the worst of possibilities just in case.”

            “What did you mean by characteristics she inherited from me,” he asked after a long hesitation. He watched as Sirius ran long fingers through soft reddish gold hair, his actions seeming to soothe him more than the sleeping child.

            “She doesn’t have full lycanthropy, Remus, there is no worry about that,” Poppy assured him in her usual blunt manner. “We’ll have to do a full magic capacity scan to be entirely sure, but she seems to carry some of the more beneficial traits. Sirius, if you would lie her down for a moment, we can see exactly what.”

            Silently, his friend transferred Maggie to the bed and stepped back with Remus, casually taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. Grateful, the werewolf leaned into the shorter man and bit back the urge to shamelessly turn into him and bury his face in the cool stretch of Sirius’s neck. The parchment produced from this scan was a glowing silver and carried much more inviting news. “Well, for one so young, her core is very strong. That, at least, has not been compromised. It seems that intertwined with her core is a magic very similar to the wolf in yours. We may need to bring Albus into these discussions, as he may have more information as to what this means.”

            “You can’t just tell us?” Sirius spoke up for only the second time since they’d arrived, surprising Poppy a little. “We need to keep this on the quieter side of things.”

            “Of course. But the headmaster is much better informed of such dealings, Mr. Black. All I can tell you is that this little one’s magical core is earthier and a bit more… feral… than most children I’ve treated. I can’t rightly tell you more about what that actually means besides a faster healing rate, and a high instinct for survival.”

            “Could you try?” Remus felt as if his heartbeat were about to choke him. Professor Dumbledore had been one of his greatest allies while he was a student, and continued to be an ally as he mucked through trying to break out into the muggle world to use his intellect instead of resorting to manual labor and shit jobs to keep himself fed. He just wasn’t entirely sure that having the old man privy to this knowledge was the best of ideas right at the moment. But it seemed as if the mediwitch was having trouble telling him what all this meant. The expression on her face was pensive as she touched a tender hand to his daughter’s forehead.

            “I honestly don’t know, Remus. Just like with the rest of her development, we must wait and see what manifests. My studies haven’t covered this much, as you know the children of afflicted parents aren’t… Well, most don’t make it to maturity. There is a lot of fear and bigotry in our society, and most parents terminate the pregnancy. And those that don’t, the child is usually taken within the first year, mostly given up due to persuasive measures.”

            A protective, angry snarl crossed his face before Remus could stop it and he moved to stand between his daughter and the mediwitch. “No one is going to take her.”

            “Ease down, Moony,” Sirius said, but his own posture was tense. “Poppy doesn’t mean that anyone’s going to take Mags away. Right, Poppy?”

            Poppy sighed and shook her head, “Of course not. That child is where she should be. I never said I agreed with the idiots.”

            “I want a Wizard’s Oath, Madame Pomfrey, that you will never reveal this or discuss this with anyone not already in the know.” Remus’s eyes burned in the dim light, but Poppy didn’t even flinch. She drew herself up taller, and sighed.

            “Very well. But I will word it to my liking, Mr. Lupin. You have an ally in me, young man, you always have.”

*~*~*

            Once they were safely back at Remus’s cottage, he laid out the still sleeping cub into his own bed and stood watching her sleep for a long moment. She looked so achingly small and pale in the middle of mounds of blankets, the fading bruises stark on her skin. He felt Sirius come up behind him and he spoke hoarsely, “How am I going to pull this off, Padfoot? You heard Poppy. I can’t have anyone taking her away, especially since it seems as if they treat the children of werewolves… She couldn’t tell us what they even do with them, could she? It’s not known. A dirty little secret.”

            “Come here, Moons,” Sirius guided him back out to the living room sofa and drew him down to sit next to him. “I have a solution in mind, but I don’t know what you’ll think of it.”

            Remus sighed and rested his head back against the cushions tiredly. “Exploring options is a good thing at this point. Not that there are many. I’ll disappear into the muggle world completely if I have to.”

            “That won’t be necessary.” It was harder for Sirius to make the words work now that it was time. It had been a long standing fantasy of his, ever since he’d realized that he was in love with his best friend when they were in fourth year and Remus had met them on the platform with that devastating half-grin and sardonic turn of phrase. He had missed the other boy much beyond what had been appropriate, the emptiness in his chest unclaimed until he’d been drawn into a hearty half-hug that had filled his senses with the scents that he’d always associated with Remus. He still had the oversized jumper he’d nicked from Remus’s drawers before that next holiday. “I think we should marry, and I should adopt Maggie as her second father.”

            Remus shot upright, blinking in shock. “What? I can’t ruin your life like that, Sirius! It would put a halt to your prospects. I can’t let you do it.”

            Sirius shook his head and laughed to cover up how utterly terrified he was. This was the hardest part, and the entire reason he hadn’t said anything about his feelings through the years. There was so much at stake here, and it wasn’t just on Remus’s behalf. If he buggered this, then he could ruin over a decade of friendship. He could lose the most important person in his life. “Remus, you don’t understand. Merlin, I’ve been in fucking love with you since we were fourteen. I don’t _want_ anything else. I want to keep you safe, and I want to help you raise that little girl in there, to keep _both_ of you to me. Call me selfish, but I don’t want you to go into hiding.”

            Remus was silent as he searched Sirius’s face for any sign that he was lying, that he was putting him on in any way. Dark eyes were intent on his, unwavering and shiny in the dim gaslight. After everything that had happened that day, this was almost too much. He broke eye contact and rubbed at his eyes. His voice was thick as he said, “Sirius, I’ve been gone for you for so long, I don’t remember any other way to be. These last few years have been a bit of a horror, not seeing you every waking moment. But I don’t want you to throw everything away for me. Things would be different; _we_ would be different. You heard Poppy, Maggie may be irrevocably damaged by that bitch whore of a mother. She may not be able to function as a normal little girl, no matter what we do or how hard we try.”

            “Remus, listen to me.” Sirius moved so that he was kneeling in front of his friend and took his hands, holding them between them. “I’m going to be here with you regardless. If you run away to live among the muggles, I’ll have to do the same, and possibly drag James and Lily along with us. Tell me you love me.”

            The breath Remus hauled in was far from steady. “I love you.”

            “Now tell me you’ll marry me and let me formally adopt our Maggie.”

            “Sirius, I-”

            “Tell me you love me. Say it again.”

            “I love you, that’s why I can’t-”

            “Moony, tell me you love me.”

            Remus stared at him, his throat so tight with emotion that he almost couldn’t make the words come. When they did, it was a strangled whisper, “I love you.”

            “Now, say you’ll marry me.”

            Eyes closed, Remus nodded, then found himself pressed back against the cushion of the sofa, his mouth claimed in a hot and demanding kiss. He couldn’t move for a second, overwhelmed by everything, by emotions and the long denied taste of Sirius’s lips on his. A hand crept to rest on the nape of his neck and the familiarity of it made him groan and melt.

            When they broke apart, Sirius rested his forehead against Remus’s and tried to catch his breath. “I’ve dreamed of that.”

            “We’re a couple of idiots, aren’t we?”

            “I could have told you that, Moony,” James interrupted their moment, sounding entirely too self-satisfied. Remus jerked, but Sirius kept him where he was, tightening his grip on the back of his neck. The motion sent a flood of arousal down his spine and he wasn’t sure if he was brassed off at James for interrupting, or happy that things hadn’t time to progress.

            “It finally happened, didn’t it?” Remus groaned at Lily’s voice, his face burning at being caught like a fucking teenager on his own sofa. “You owe me five galleons, Potter.”

            “You bet on us?” Sirius sounded more amused than offended and Remus kept his eyes screwed shut to avoid looking at the amused faces of his chosen family.

            “She said you’d fess up before the week was out,” James snorted and searched his trouser pockets. He shrugged over at Lily and grinned slyly, “Look at that, no coin. You’ll have to take it out in trade, Evans.”

            “I’ll just have to do that.” Lily’s answering smirk wasn’t entirely promising. “Pickles needs a bath rather soon, and you can take my turn.”

            “Bloody hell, that furry bastard is a right menace! I’ll have your payment by morning.”

            Remus started laughing, the sound so familiar and unexpected it made them all turn and look at him, Sirius with a bemused smile. “What would I do without you lot?”

            “Wither and die, probably,” James snorted.

            “Good thing you’ll never have to find out, Moony,” Sirius cupped his chin and kissed him hard, swallowing the laughter before it could turn to sobs.

*~*~*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on the premise that marriage in the Wizarding world is different from Muggle policies, especially during that time. I kind of see it as a mix between archaic principles and forward thinking. They really don't care who marries who, just as long as the contract is upheld, I guess. The 'wife' gains protection by taking the husband's name.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, but I wanted to get it out before going off to work :) Also, there's a trigger warning for somewhat descriptive child abuse and humiliation this chapter, just in case. It made me feel ick writing it, so I figured I'd toss out a bit of a head's up.

*~*~*

            _She had to be quiet. Mummy wasn’t in a good mood again, and there had been shouting last night. Maggie needed to use the loo, badly, but she was scared to venture out of the tiny room they’d set up for her. It was little more than a tiny bed and piles of dirty clothes and broken toys, the window too high on the wall for her to be able to look out of. She tried to stay out of the way as much as she could._

_She was hungry too, but knew better than to ask when Mummy was like this. She opened the door and peeked through the crack, eyeing the dark hallway to see if anyone was in sight. It was all still and quiet. She slipped through the door and padded silently down the hall to the open bathroom door and didn’t turn on the light. Quietly she did her business, but was afraid to flush because of the noise. Mummy had a new friend and she didn’t want to wake them up._

            Maggie woke up to wet blankets and pajamas, the sunlight pouring through the thin curtains of a strange room. Disoriented and immediately scared, she felt for a moment like she may throw up. _Oh, no._ Mummy was going to be _so mad_. Even though she knew that crying would just make it worse, she couldn’t help it. She climbed out of the bed, embarrassed and unsteady, tumbling down when the floor was so much further away than she was used to. She didn’t remember where she was, it smelled different and the air was different too. The shadows that normally crowded around her were gone, slipped away somewhere else.

            She remembered then that her mummy wasn’t there anymore, that she’d been given away to someone that hadn’t hurt her. He’d been big but had held her soft, like he was scared of hurting her. His voice had been a low grumble that had vibrated through her, chasing away the bad. But she’d wet the bed and now he wouldn’t want her anymore. Big people didn’t like babies, and she wasn’t supposed to be a baby anymore. Big girls didn’t wet their pajamas.

            She heard footsteps coming toward the bedroom and panicked, slipping under the bed though she knew that hiding was just as bad as crying, sometimes worse. Heart pounding, she heard her da- as the other nice man that smelled like a cold day in the forest had called him- call out quietly, “Maggie? Are you awake, love? You must be hungry-”

            He paused when he saw the empty bed and inhaled sharply, no doubt realizing from the smell that she must have wet the sheets. “Maggie, it’s all right, sweetheart,” he said kindly, voice immediately dropping a few decibels. She tried to hold back a sob as she watched his bare feet shuffle on the edge of the bed, then he was kneeling down and looking in at her. “It’s okay. I should have woken you up in the night to use the loo. You’re not in trouble, you slept very hard.”

            She trembled when he reached out a large hand toward her, shrinking back distrustfully. His eyes were wet and she realized that he was about to cry. “It’s okay, come here and we’ll get you cleaned up, yeah?” He wasn’t mad. Maggie made herself very still and _listened_ , then let out a shuddery breath and put her hand in his. There wasn’t any of the bad that she usually felt off the adults that touched her. He was sad and upset, but it wasn’t because she was a big, stupid baby. It was because she was afraid of him.

            Maggie started to cry in earnest when he finally had her out from her hiding spot and curled up in his lap. Her pajamas were wet and cold, and she was so embarrassed, still waiting for him to be angry. He wasn’t, and when he carried her into the bathroom and started a bath, she clung more than she should have. Mummy hated it when she clung, but he didn’t mind.

            This was her second bath in two days, and this one seemed to go a little smoother than the last because she was a little more sure that it wasn’t going to be unpleasant. Baths before had been hard, with water too hot or too cold and hard scrubbing that had left her skin raw and sore. Her hair had been pulled and soap had almost always ended up in her eyes.

            She saw the other man, the one that had helped her yesterday, come to the doorway and peer in. He had a kind face and eyes that held a sad kind of compassion. Maggie’d known that he wouldn’t hurt her, in the way that she knew a lot of things. He’d been small and hurting before, like her.

            “G’morning, Mags,” he said to her now, the timbre of his voice a bit higher than her da’s. She couldn’t remember his name. “How’d our girl sleep?”

            She looked down at the bubbles in the water, not wanting to tell him that she’d wet the bed. He liked her and she didn’t want him to know that she was a gross baby that shouldn’t be without a diaper. Her da, as Maggie didn’t know what else to call him, smiled and lifted her chin with his fingers. “No one’s mad at you, little one,” he assured again, making sure she was looking right in his eyes when he said it. “Do you like pancakes? Padfoot knows how to make chocolate ones, and we made sure to get the right stuff for it, didn’t we?”

            “We did,” Padfoot (that was a silly name) said, and didn’t ask why they should be mad at her. Then bath time was done and she was wrapped up in a towel and brought back into the living room where there was another fire going. It was warm and she was a little drowsy again. She knew how to dress herself, but she didn’t want to let go. It was like her voice wasn’t working anyway, stuck at the back of her throat. Mummy never wanted her to talk, except when she was asked a question. Then if Maggie didn’t answer right away, she’d get angry and shout about not speaking up.

            There was a comforting _hum_ that came from being held by her da. It was like a clean, fuzzy blanket that made her feel nice. After she was dressed in clean underthings and a pretty yellow dress, Padfoot stretched out his hands for her. She hesitated, then allowed him to pick her up. He felt different than her da, lighter and more playful. But he was sad and a little angry about something. A picture came to her head like they did sometimes when she wasn’t careful, and she buried her head in his shoulder. _“Filthy! I want you out of my house! Out! I will_ not _have any heir of mine cavorting like an uncivilized mudblood! Out!”_ The memory was loud and she sniffled a little as tears wanted to come again.

            “Oy, none of that, Mags,” Sirius jostled her gently, keeping his voice light as he carried her into the kitchen and deposited her into the booster Lily had managed to procure from somewhere. “You can’t be sad when we’re about to have pancakes!”

            Remus smiled at him and made a gesture with his head toward the bedroom, communicating that he was going to change the bed linens while Sirius was distracting Maggie. Nodding, he took a plate and asked if she’d like peanut butter on her pancake before he cut it up. Her eyes were huge as she looked at him, a startled deer expression that made his stomach twist a little. She nodded, obviously overwhelmed. He wasn’t sure if she really liked peanut butter or not, so he put it on half the pancake, and left the other bare as he cut it up and poured syrup over the mess.

            “Here you are, Mags,” he said with a flourish and handed her a fork. Not expecting an answer, he still asked, “Juice or milk?”

            She hesitantly took the fork, swallowed hard, and said in a small voice, “Milk, please.”

            He froze in the process of reaching into the icebox, staring over at her and wondering if he’d imagined her speaking. She was looking at him as if she expected him to shout at her, so he forced a wide grin and took out the glass jug of fresh milk- again thanks to Lily, who had put together a care package for them while they were at Hogwarts. “Milk it is!”

            Knowing how he’d feel if someone was staring at him while he ate, Sirius made up his own plate and one for Remus when he joined them. After the first hesitant bite, Maggie’s hunger seemed to outweigh her nervousness and she bolted the sweet cake bits, the fork almost too large for her tiny fist.

            When Remus came in, smelling of laundry soap and lemon, he smiled at the sight of the girl eating. When he came around the table, Sirius lifted his face and accepted the firm, almost chaste press of lips to his. “Thank you,” Remus murmured and took a seat next to him.

            They’d talked for hours the night before after Lily and James had finally left off for their own home. Their two friends were adamant about them sharing their wedding date and venue, insisting that it made perfect sense to do it all at once. All their classmates and family were going to be there anyway, everything was already paid for, and it wouldn’t be a hassle to add the second couple. McGonagall, who had agreed after months of pestering to officiate the vows, wouldn’t do more than roll her eyes and smile that tiny, reluctant smile at adding two more of her secret favorites.

            Remus, however hadn’t wanted to barge in on their special day. It was nearly eleven years in the making and should be special. Lily had smacked his knee and snorted inelegantly, “Remus, I swear, if I didn’t love you. Having you and Sirius share our day would make it even _more_ special, you idiot. Besides, you and Sirius were neck and neck with us on being oblivious.”

            “What? Don’t lump _me_ into your pool of idiocy, Evans. If you remember correctly, I knew from the Christmas Holiday first year that I was going to marry you one day. _You’re_ the one that took forever to realize what a catch I was.”

            After a few more token protests, Remus had agreed to at least think about it. Sirius had winked at Lily when he thought Remus wasn’t looking and mouthed, _“I’ll work on it.”_

            They’d discussed the agenda for the next couple weeks that included a trip to the London townhome to look it over and do any necessary cleaning and repairs, then moving two households into one. Packing up and moving seemed to be the easiest, as Remus had realized that he also had to introduce his daughter to his parents.

            “Oh, _Merlin_ ,” there had been a high note of panic in Remus’s voice as it dawned on him. “And I have to tell them I’m getting married, and not to a proper, sweet tempered witch like my mum’s always pointing me at.”

            Sirius had laughed and pulled him in for a long, sweet kiss that had soothed a bit of the rough edges. It hadn’t helped any when he’d been reminded that they also had to attend a meeting of the Order of the Pheonix where they’d have to face their closest friends and colleagues, including Peter, who hadn’t been around much in the last couple months. There was the engagement announcement that needed to be posted in the Daily Prophet, and the adoption papers needed to be filed with the Goblins.

            Now sitting at the breakfast table next to the man he was going to marry in a couple months time, Remus felt his heart swell. Maggie was pushing the remains of her pancakes around on her plate, too pale and too thin, and he felt his hands tremble. He had to protect her. There was so much darkness around in his world, with the emergence of Tom Riddle as the new leader of the dark wizards out to wreak whatever chaos they could while infiltrating their mostly inept government, and the inherent flaws in said government that was allowing it to happen.

             Very few of his Hogwarts alumni knew about him being a registered werewolf, mostly due to Dumbledore keeping it on a need-to-know basis. But there were others that did know and they weren’t all under the headmaster’s influence, not since they’d graduated from Hogwarts. There was the very real danger of his family being targeted specifically because of him being on that list, of Sirius being dismissed from his auror’s position and excluded from further training. When Remus had brought that up, Sirius had shaken his head dismissively and said with a dark glint, “Let them fucking try, Moony. I may be the disinherited son, but I am still a Black and I was raised with expectations. I’m not just a pretty face, you know. All the laws and loopholes were drilled into my skull from the time I could properly read.”

            There was still this awful urge to run, to pack up whatever he could and convince Sirius it was better to just leave the Wizarding world altogether, possibly leave the British Isles completely. That would be a last resort. They were needed here and as much as it would make life much easier, Remus knew he couldn’t just leave. Not now.

*~*~*

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has all the feels! Total tooth-rotting family fluff. I hope you guys enjoy it! It's kind of short, but I'm working a ton of overtime and time is limited and I wanted to get this posted. :)

*~*~*

            In the end, Remus had decided not to warn his parents about the exact reason why he was adamant about having tea on Saturday, despite his father’s work schedule being completely full. He was rarely cryptic about what was going on in his life, being rather open and close with his mother at least. His father was a completely different situation altogether, but they’d settled into a comfortable, if distant relationship. Remus knew that his father blamed himself for what had happened when he was a kid, for drawing the ire of Greyback in the first place. He always looked at his son with a mixture of pride and sadness.

            As he and Sirius stood on the front walk leading up to the small cottage his parents owned, Remus felt his skin crawl with a horrible mix of fear and anticipation. The inner coward was showing itself again in the desire to turn right back around and go back toward London, to just skip ahead to the next on the list of what needed to be accomplished. As if knowing what he was thinking, Sirius took his hand and squeezed it gently.

            “For better or worse, it’ll be over soon.”

            Remus looked at him with a huff of laughter, “That’s actually comforting, Padfoot, in a very practical way.”

            “Your mum likes me, and your father doesn’t hold much animosity toward me that I know of,” Sirius tried to keep his tone light, but he was nervous too.

            “Animosity would show more than just a passing interest,” Remus muttered. He sighed when he noticed the curtains over the front window twitch back as someone noticed they were standing out there. Maggie had a death grip on his shirt, her eyes huge as she looked around them. She reminded him of a kitten straying outside for the first time, wary and twitchy in the open air. If she had claws, he was pretty certain they’d be dug in. In the week since she’d come into his care, they’d become more comfortable with each other, even as his anger at her mother increased into a cold rage as he realized more and more the depths of the abuse his child had endured.

            Sirius had become invaluable, a comforting presence for both of them. He’d fallen into the role of parenting with an ease that had shocked everyone. He’d even teased a smile out of the solemn girl and they were moving toward getting her to relax into her new life. Lily and James had been around more as well, his redheaded friend horrified and heartbroken when she realized that Maggie was terrified of her. It had become her mission to prove to the toddler that not every woman was going to hurt her.

            Remus figured it wasn’t just the fact that Lily was a woman, it was her vague resemblance to Maggie’s mother. Very vague in that they had almost the same shade of hair. He remembered her reaction to Madame Pomfrey and sighed. He hoped she wouldn’t turn away from his mum. That would go over like a lead balloon. “Shall we,” he sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of Maggie’s head before walking toward the door that was opening to show his mother and her soft, slightly confused smile.

            “Remus! Sirius, I’m glad you boys made it,” Hope Lupin greeted her son by standing on her tip-toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek, then turning to do the same to Sirius without any hesitation. “Your father is running a bit late, but he promised he’d be here within the half hour. We’re a bit intrigued about the news you have to share, though seeing this pretty little one here, I have a feeling that I already know.”

            There was no over the top explosion of emotion, or even quiet weeping. His mother just accepted it with a calm, sweet happiness that only a woman who had never expected grandchildren could express. They followed her into the cottage and the easy atmosphere of his childhood home settled around Remus like a comfortable mantle that never ceased to make him feel better.

            “I wanted to wait until Father got home, and tell you both at the same time, but I should have realized how obvious it all would be if I walked up like this,” Remus said ruefully. He looked down at Maggie, who had her thumb stuck firmly in her mouth and her other hand fisted in his shirt. “This is Magdalena Ann, or Maggie. I just found out about her a week ago, Mum.”

            “I don’t know how she could be anyone else’s,” Hope’s eyes were filling with tears as she looked from the child to her son. “She looks like you and your father.”

            “They have your eyes, Mrs. Lupin,” Sirius told her, his own nerves showing in the subdued way he spoke. He wanted to take Maggie from Remus to hold her, having found an almost irrational comfort in the girl. He’d never really been keen on kids before. Not that he’d had anything _against_ them, it was just they were usually so noisy and all over the place. Their energy always played off his and made them all manic. By the time he was done spending any significant time around anyone under the age of ten, he felt like his skin was made of ants and he was about to cling to the ceiling.

            With Maggie it was different. Always before when he’d been nervous or upset, he’d clung to Remus as a touchstone, a safe zone if you will because the other boy had always had this aura of _calm_ that seeped into him like a drug. More than once, it had bordered on crossing personal boundaries and caused both the boys a few uncomfortable moments. Sirius hadn’t always realized what he was doing, but despite taking a few bits of ribbing from their classmates, Remus hadn’t ever pushed him away. Mags seemed to have that same effect. He felt calmer when he was interacting with the tot, whether it was rocking her to sleep, or holding random, one-sided conversations aimed at putting her at ease. She seemed to relax more when she had him or Remus within sight. Not that that had been much of an issue, considering the size of Remus’s home and the amount of time they’d been spending together.

            “I’ll take that as a compliment, Sirius,” Hope was saying now and reached out a slender, elegant hand toward Maggie, obviously intending on brushing an errant curl out of her eyes. Both men held their breath and waited for the explosion. Remus felt her tense up, but instead of jerking back or crying, Maggie seemed to relax into the touch, blinking as if it surprised her too.

            “Hello, Maggie,” Hope spoke directly to the girl, a smile in her voice that carried to every inch of her. “I’m your grandmum. Oh, Remus, she is so beautiful.”

            Sirius had always been almost jealous of James’s parents, his mum in particular. Almost being the operative word, because they had pretty much adopted him after that awful night when his own mother had nearly killed him, then disowned him in a flash of hateful rage. They’d taken over as his parents and had settled into it seamlessly, as if he’d always been there. He still had nightmares sometimes when he thought about what his life may have been like if they hadn’t. But Remus’s mum was everything that he had ever wanted in a mother. Soft spoken with an even softer touch, she seemed to be the embodiment of what a mother should be. He’d only been at their home a handful of times during their years at Hogwarts, the Lupin home being too small to fit all the boys at one time, but when he had come to stay and it had just been him and Remus, he’d felt almost as if he were boxed into a quiet, cushioned sanctuary where there was no rush and nothing loud. He’d known the first time he’d ever met Mrs. Lupin where her son had gotten that innate center of calm.

            They’d just taken seats on the sofa, with Mrs. Lupin taking the smaller of the armchairs, when the front door opened again and Remus’s father called out a quiet greeting. Sirius wondered, and not for the first time, if there were muffling charms worked into the fabric of the home.

            “We’re in the front room, Lyall,” Mrs. Lupin called out with a happy smile.

            Mr. Lupin was a tall, mostly nondescript man that had kept his lanky form through the years. Lightly graying brown hair fell into a warm, friendly face that held more lines than it really should for someone not yet fifty. His smile lit up his dark brown eyes, crinkling the edges as he greeted his son with genuine pleasure. “Remus! Sorry to make you wait, Mrs. Frons was being rather particular today and didn’t want to let me out the door.”

            “It’s no bother, Dad, we just got here,” Remus answered and felt the nervousness pool in his stomach again. All the lectures on behavior and what to expect as he got older came rushing back. Lyall hadn’t been cruel in his dealings with his son, but he’d erred on the side of honesty when it came to preparing him for what an unfair and cruel place their society was to people like him. He’d meant well, but it had also put a bit of a strain on their relationship and they hadn’t been as close as they could have been. They loved each other fiercely, but it was always subdued and their interactions had left Remus feeling as if he were a major disappointment, or a burden.

            There was a long pause as sharp eyes noted the child in Remus’s arms, and the rather close proximity of his son’s childhood friend, Sirius Black. They were sitting so close that the sides of their thighs were touching and Sirius’s arm was resting around Remus’s back.

            Remus took in a steadying breath and said, “Dad, I’d like you to meet Maggie. She’s my daughter.”

            Lyall sat down abruptly in his chair, which was conveniently right behind him. The face that eyed him with a mixture of curiosity and anxiety was small and pretty, the features soft but undeniable. Her eyes were overlarge in that gentle triangle and that gorgeously unique blend of amber and green that still made his knees weak when his wife aimed them at him. The only trait out of place was the red-gold hair pulled back into a curling ponytail. She even had the same spattering of freckles across her pert nose as Remus had when he was young.

            “Well, hello, Miss Maggie,” he managed after a moment. His voice was thick with emotion and for a moment he thought he may choke. He and Hope had never thought they’d have an opportunity for grandchildren, and he knew it had been a secret heartbreak for his wife. Until now, he hadn’t thought it mattered that much to him. The joy that bubbled up was unexpected, leaving him a bit breathless. He needed a moment before he made an ass out of himself. Standing abruptly, he left the room and stepped directly out the door in the kitchen and into the back garden.

            “C’mere, Mags,” Sirius said and took Maggie from Remus. “Go talk to him, Moony.”

             Remus nodded and kissed his temple absently before going after his father.

             He found him sitting on the back steps, head in his hands as he tried to reign in the rioting emotions. Lyall wasn’t the best with expressing anything but the easy emotions; a mild expenditure of happiness or sadness seemed to be about the extent of his father’s ability to Remus’s eyes. He hadn’t even seen him angry except for a small handful of times. He sat down on the steps next to the man that had raised him and was at a complete loss as to what to do or say now that he was there.

             They sat in silence for a long time, Lyall breathing in and out slowly and deliberately as Remus waited for whatever was brewing to erupt. Finally, the older Lupin said quietly, “You know, your mother and I had long since resigned ourselves to not having grandchildren. When you were very young… before Greyback… we’d planned on a large family. We’d planned to sell the cottage after I got tenure and had a more stable income, buy something with more room.”

             Remus flinched at the mention of their plans and how he’d somehow managed to mangle it all to hell. His father noticed and looked at him sharply, seeming to realize how his words could have been interpreted. “Merlin, Remus, I’m not blaming you for things not working out the way we had dreamed. None of it was your fault, you were a _boy._ A tiny, helpless child just like that girl you have in there. You were taken from us in the night, and when I think of that time and the fear and rage I felt when your mother woke me up with her screaming…”

             Silence fell again and Remus felt the prickling of tears behind his eyes. Lyall continued, laying a hand on his son’s back. “When we found you, you were all bloodied and wrapped in a blanket back here under your mum’s roses. She ripped them out that season and replanted sunflowers and gerber daisies. Pretty, happy flowers to remind her that we still had our boy. You weren’t the same, but you were still _ours_ and you were alive and that was all that mattered.” He swallowed hard and Remus could feel his hand flex on his back, patting him softly before pulling back.

             Lyall shook his head and sighed, “That’s not what I wanted to say, I got off track. You’ve given us a gift, Remus.” He looked at his son, joy lighting up his dark eyes in a way that Remus had seen so little of. He smiled wide. “I would like to get to know Maggie and have her get to know us as proper grandparents. I know we… _I_ , haven’t been the best…”

             “Dad,” Remus interrupted, “You loved me and kept me safe when a lot of other parents would have just let me die. I talked to Madame Pomfrey about Maggie and the possibility that she had inherited… my curse. She hasn’t, not completely. The point is, she doesn’t know that much about the children of werewolves, that most parents abort the pregnancy or have their children forcibly taken by the ministry. You and Mum did the best you could with the odds stacked against you, and me.”

             “No one is going to be taking that child anywhere,” Lyall stated harshly, much in the same way as his son had not five days earlier.  

            Remus chuckled and agreed, “Yeah, that’s what I said. Dad, I have more news.” He stopped and looked away, down at the cobbled path leading into the garden sanctuary his mother had created.

            “You and that Sirius boy are together,” Lyall said, a hint of humor in his voice. Remus felt for a second as if his heart had stopped in his chest completely. At his father’s laughter, he felt his answering grin split his face even as heat rose up into his cheeks. He never in a million years thought that he’d be having this conversation. “I may be old, son, but I’m far from blind. He may have come from unsavory stock, but he’s a good sort. I always thought so. If you don’t mind me saying, it seems as if you two have always balanced each other in one way or another.”

            “I- We’re getting married,” Remus blurted, and was rewarded with his father’s eyes widening almost comically. “I know it’s soon, but Sirius has this crazy idea that if we marry and I take his… his name that it would allow us to keep Maggie without leaving. He inherited his Uncle Alphard’s estate and is insisting that it would be best…”

            “That boy is bloody brilliant,” Lyall interjected when Remus paused for breath. “Listen, my boy, your Sirius does know his laws and where to look to learn more, trust him. I assume he is blood adopting Maggie?”

            “Yes,” Remus answered, “We filed the paperwork with the goblins and it should be through and ready for us to do the formal ceremony by the wedding. We planned on making it all final after we take our vows. James and Lily are insisting on us sharing their date, and they will be named as godparents.”

            Lyall nodded. “Good. There is absolutely nothing the ministry can do after it is all magically bound together. You’ll all be safe.”

            “Dad, there’s more.” Remus took a breath and told him about Maggie’s mum.

*~*~*

            By the time the two men made it back inside, Hope was holding a drowsy Maggie, and Sirius was watching them with a sappy half-smile. Remus stopped in the doorway and just looked, his chest tightening at the sight of his mother rocking her grandchild. He didn’t think he had ever seen her look so beautiful. Maggie’s eyes were half-lidded and she seemed completely boneless curled up against his mother’s breast. His eyes filled with tears as he heard the soft humming of the lullaby she’d often sung him to sleep with. He remembered so many nights when he’d been exhausted and torn up from the full moon, crying against her as she soothed him. She’d always sang the same lullaby, sometimes just humming it as she was now with Maggie.

            “I love you, Mum,” he said tearfully, kneeling in front of her. “I love you so much.”

            Hope smiled and cupped his cheek. “I love you too, Remus, my handsome boy. You’ve made me so proud, my love. And today, you…” her smile turned tremulous and she rubbed her cheek against the top of Maggie’s head. “Today you’ve given me the brightest gift.”

            “And that’s not all,” Lyall interrupted their moment with a mischievous grin that matched his son’s so completely that Sirius did a double-take. “You’re about to gain another son in a couple months.”

            Hope’s eyes sparkled and she looked between Remus and Sirius. They could almost see her vibrating with glee. “I knew that today would be special.”

 

*~*~*


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was rather difficult for me to write for some reason! :) I hope it doesn't suck, and I promise the next installment will come out faster. Overtime and car-buying drama (anxiety and massive freak out) had my brain held hostage. It's been released now, so we'll get back at it. Thanks for reading, and if there's anything awful about this next chapter, lmk nicely and I'll see how to fix it ;)

*~*~*

            Still riding the emotional high of tea with the elder Lupins, Sirius and Remus went on to the next task. London wasn’t always Remus’s favorite place, which was ironic since that’s where he’d enrolled in university and where he’d planned on taking advantage of the muggle identification and background Dumbledore had helped him gather to find somewhat better employment while he took classes. The city was overcrowded and heavy with too many things going all at once. It clogged his senses and dulled everything down to something that resembled mud. That wasn’t the best way to describe it, but that’s all he could come up with if he were pressed.

            The three of them stood just inside the front garden gate, and Remus blinked at the sheer size of the building. When Sirius had said ‘townhome’, he’d pictured a two story flat with neighbors attached on either side. What it really was, was a home in town. Or city, in this case. He should have known. Anything dealing with the Black family, even someone as relatively low key and unobtrusive as Sirius’s Uncle Alphard, was bound to be an ostentatious showpiece. It was in the genetics, and his friend… boyfriend… _fiance…_ had inherited it. Remus was relieved that it seemed to be the only personality trait he’d carried with him.

            The house didn’t look much like what he’d expect from a Black manor, however. It was relatively modern, if you considered circa eighteen-fifty as modern, and it was rather bright and cheery with a red brick exterior and an expansive landscape that didn’t seem possible for the area. Of course, Remus was seeing it as it was under the charms disguising it from the muggle population. Sirius grinned over at him and he found himself pulled toward the large double front doors. “C’mon, Moony. Let’s explore our new home, yeah?”

            He set Maggie on her feet and she held his hand tightly as they crossed through the threshold and into the dated interior. It was extravagant elegance and high polished shine, and Remus couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable. The ceilings were high and it was rather open with everything expensive glossy wood and stone. He was used to cramped and slightly rundown cottages and the dark stone of Hogwarts Castle. This was something out of a storybook and to be frank, it sort of sent a bit of an anxious chill down his spine.

            Maggie clung to his side as they followed Padfoot through on a tour, peeking into expansive rooms with beautiful, tasteful, and expensive antique furnishings. As they reached the back of the home and were about to start up the stairs, Sirius seemed to realize that his companions were less than excited. He stopped and his smile gentled as he read the unease on Remus’s face, and correctly gauged the source of it.

            “We don’t have to keep it like this,” he said softly, drawing his friend into a comforting embrace. He wrapped one arm around Remus’s back, and cupped his chin with the other hand. He brought their lips together in a sweet, lingering kiss. “We can change it however it suits us, love. Out of all the properties, this was the one less likely to kill us in our sleep. Uncle Alphard wasn’t as much of a bastard as the rest of them, but he was still a Black.”

            Remus melted into the kiss, his free hand fisting into the back of Sirius’s shirt. He nodded and laughed, suddenly feeling ridiculous. “Of course.”

            Sirius’s grin turned wicked and he asked, “You ready to see the bedrooms? The master suite has a bathtub to rival the prefect’s bath at Hogwarts.”

            Leaving Remus a bit dry mouthed at the thought, Sirius turned to Maggie and swung her up into the air, surprising a giggle out of the normally solemn child. She clung to him, her face wreathed in a rare smile. “And as for you, Miss Magpie, there’s a bedroom with your name on it up there. We can paint it whatever strikes your fancy. How does that sound?”

            Not really expecting an answer, nor waiting for one, Sirius grabbed Remus with his other hand and hauled them both up the grand staircase.

*~*~*

            Transforming the space into one that was comfortable enough for Remus, yet extravagant enough for Sirius took nearly three days of debate and a few moments of exasperation. At least once, Lily had to come to the rescue and choose for them to stop it from getting heated. Actually moving their things in and unpacking only took two days. The one thing they could agree on was that Maggie needed a bedroom that was sweet and everything a little girl could ever want.

            What broke Sirius’s heart was that she was content with whatever they gave her. Not that it was a bad thing, mind. It was just that she never asked for anything, and it had taken actual work to make her realize that her basic needs were nothing to be ashamed of. He and Remus were diligent in asking her about even the most obvious and simple necessities, such as whether she was hungry, or tired, or if she needed a bathroom break.

            She was getting almost to where she didn’t flinch when Lily came near. Their redhead friend had taken it as a personal quest to do everything she possibly could to put the tot to ease. She spoke to Maggie in a gentle, but adult voice, having stated that baby talk wasn’t the way to communicate with _anything,_ especially not to a developing child. Sirius had to agree, and not surprisingly, Remus was firmly in the same mindset. James, however, had taken some convincing. Maggie, apparently, was comfortable enough with Prongs to give him a raised eyebrow and a much smaller, cuter version of Remus’s ‘are you kidding me’ face. She’d looked a bit startled at the eruption of laughter from all the adults present, but thankfully it hadn’t scared her.

            Right at the moment, she was standing in the doorway of her new bedroom, staring at the purple, cream, and pale green bedroom Remus and Sirius had put together with the help of their friends. Lily had shared what she remembered of her own preferences as a little girl and stopped the men from going overboard with the ‘squishy girl-ness’, as she’d put it _. “Merlin’s bloody beard, Sirius! No more fracking lace. She’s a girl, not a doll. Start out low on the frill, then when she’s older, she can decide if it’s something she likes.”_

            James had come up with the bedroom furniture design, having consulted with his mother on what was functional and elegant for little girls. They wanted something that she could grow into, but not something too big or ornate. He and his father had charmed and molded a supply of iron bars into a beautiful forest scene daybed. The metal tree branches twisted and turned in all the colors of the forest; browns and greens with different floral vines intermixed with colorful birds and a mixture of different animals along the bottom border. It was supposed to change colors with the seasons, and most importantly, it had protection runes and wards to keep her from harm. Nothing with ill intent could take her from it with force, or even get within three feet without serious damage.

            Remus hadn’t shared his fears with his friends; those long buried nightmares of his own kidnapping when he was a boy and how they’d morphed into scenes of his own daughter being taken by the wolves. He guessed he hadn't really had to. He’d woken Sirius enough with them over the last couple weeks, it must have been obvious. James may be a bit of a self-absorbed prat on the surface, but he paid attention and was loyal to a fault with his chosen family. The bed had been as much a surprise for Remus as it had been for Maggie.

            Lily and Remus had painted the walls a golden cream, while Sirius had detailed magical forest animals frolicking across the top border, to follow the theme with the bed. Unicorns, gryphons, and centaurs moved through the muted gold painted half-mural forest, along with other more mundane creatures. There was even a hippogriff, which made Lily scoff and roll her eyes and the boys grin. The birds flew out onto the ceiling occasionally, making Maggie stare with wonder. The floor was hardwood like the rest of the house, but they’d found a dark purple rug to go with the lavender, pale green, and gold-cream quilt and pillows.

            Maggie stood frozen just inside the door, looking a bit overwhelmed and confused. She looked back at her fathers and blinked, bewilderment written all across her face. Remus came in and knelt down next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist to bring her in close. “This is yours, Mags. If you don’t like it, we can change it.”

            She shook her head and leaned into him, her thumb going to her mouth. That was a habit that Remus knew they’d need to break soon, but he hadn’t the heart to do it until they were more settled. Sirius came in and knelt down on her other side, darting in to kiss her temple playfully. “What do you think? Do you like it?” He kept his tone light and happy, knowing that she reflected back what was given. He and Remus had discussed the possibility that her sensitivity was much more developed than what was normal, even for a magic-born. She always seemed to know far more than what she should. They’d need to develop Occulmancy shields before she was exposed to other children. Or even other adults beyond their small circle.

            Maggie looked around the bedroom again, her eyes wide with wonder, and Sirius wasn’t entirely sure that she believed that this was actually hers. She’d been sleeping on a transfigured cot in Remus’s bedroom at the old cottage, the three of them falling into a surprisingly easy bedtime routine.

            She nodded finally, her eyes falling on the animals roaming her walls. “We’ll make sure you find the toys you like,” Sirius was saying now, bringing her attention back to his happy voice. She liked it when Padfoot spoke to her, and he usually did, keeping up a sometimes silly commentary. All of this was strange for her, the attention and the good feelings the adults felt when they looked at her. There wasn’t any anger, and there wasn’t any disgust. Now they were saying that this pretty room was all hers.

            The men exchanged smiles over her head and Sirius broke the silence with a jovial, “I do believe our Lily has left us some of those meat pastries you love so much, Mags. You ready for lunch?”

            From there, the uncertainty was gone and Maggie was relaxing again; food was something that was easy now. She still couldn't bring herself to ask if she was hungry, but the adults seemed to know when she needed to eat. She was even starting to like Lily, realizing that while she may look a bit like mum, she was far from being mean. Padfoot asked her if she wanted a piggy-back ride, and she nodded even though she had no idea what that was. When he turned around and indicated that she should climb on his back, she hesitated for a half-second, then followed instruction. Wrapping legs around his waist and arms around his neck, she smiled as he easily leapt to his feet. Her tummy did a little flip and she held tighter as he bounced her around. "I've got you, Mags." He turned to Da and said, "Bet you Pumpkin juice to tea that we make it downstairs first!" Then they were off, Maggie feeling giggles rising up as they went.   

            Remus felt a surge of love for his partner, for the easy way he judged the little girl’s moods and when to push, and when not to. He loved the way Sirius looked at Maggie, at _him_ , and at their lives together. As he followed the chattering man and his laughing daughter, he wondered at the easy happiness that soared through him. _This_ was what he’d never thought he’d have, what he’d been told time and time again could never be his.

             Remus put a hand to his aching chest and wondered what he’d done to deserve such a kindness.

*~*~*

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm totally taking liberties with things, guys. Either I'm blatantly making stuff up, or I'm changing things to suit my own nefarious reasons, so fair warning. ;) That's one of the beautiful things about fanfic, isn't it? Anyway, thank you guys so much for all the comments and kudos! It seriously makes me deliriously happy and it helps with inspiration. I hope I don't disappoint.

*~*~*

            “What have we here?” Molly Weasley stood with a brilliant smile on her face and a hand on her ample hip as she looked over Sirius, who was carrying a sleeping Maggie when they arrived at the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, almost a half hour later than they’d intended. She looked plump and happy, high color in her freckled cheeks and her long red hair gathered into a thick braid that curved over her shoulder. Marriage and kids agreed with the older woman, and Sirius couldn't find it in him to begrudge her any of it. Her brothers had been a year behind the Marauders, and a huge fan of the pranks. Molly had graduated the same year they'd started, so they'd been treated to the spirited back and forth between her and her future husband, Arthur. It had surprised no one when they'd married and popped out kid number one right after graduation. If the math didn't add up, no one was overly concerned with it.

            Remus pressed a hand to Sirius's back, long fingers curving in warmly against his spine as they moved further into the front foyer. Neither one of them had really wanted to bring Maggie with them to the meeting, knowing that the chances things could go epically wrong were very high. There were a lot of big personalities in a rather small area, all speaking of things that weren’t necessarily for young ears, with the high likelihood of raised voices and a less than pleasant atmosphere. There were other children there, of course, the Weasley family and a couple of the other members not having ready childcare, and this was supposed to be an all-hands on deck sort of meeting. It was easier to set all the younglings in one area with a couple older ones as minders.

           “This is our daughter, Maggie,” Remus told her with a forced smile. He was achy with the approaching full moon and not in the best mental state to be dealing with any of this. Normally, he would have bowed out and begged forgiveness, but he had to be there for this meeting, even if for no other reason to inform them of the developments that had popped up. Namely Maggie.

            Surprise lit up Molly’s brown eyes and her smile faltered for just a second as she looked over the red hair that curled over the little girl’s shoulders. It was late in the evening, nearing eight, and Maggie had put in a hard day. They all had, to be honest. The morning hadn’t started well, for Remus _or_ Maggie, and it hadn’t seemed to get any better. It was strange for the mild-mannered child to have any sort of fits, and she still hadn’t, to Sirius's standards, but it seemed as if she’d carried some sort of upset with her.

            Sirius had left for work with a worried kiss to both their foreheads, finding Remus fighting the low-grade fever he usually did this close to his time, and Maggie a bit on the cool, clammy side. When he’d come home, the two of them had been dozing in Remus’s armchair in the study, Maggie’s face red and blotchy from what appeared to be a crying jag.

            Remus had opened tired eyes and smiled half-heartedly up at him. “I think she’s reacting to my moon-sickness, Padfoot. Maybe we should take her back to Poppy for another checkup?”

            Sirius had agreed, then proceeded to order out for soup and bread from a local deli that they’d discovered in the first few days in the neighborhood. He left Remus and Maggie to sleep quietly and went in to fire-call Madame Pomfrey, updating her on the newest development. She hadn’t seemed surprised and told him it wasn’t much to worry over, but she was fine with them flooing in tomorrow afternoon for another checkup. The full moon was in two days.

            They’d discussed their action plan for the full moon and had decided it would be best for the boys to do as they had since third year and spend it together. James and Peter hadn’t joined them as much since Hogwarts graduation, though Peter was the only one that had stopped altogether. Maggie would be going to stay with Lyall and Hope overnight, that being the only option that wouldn’t end with a possible terrible outcome. After getting Remus settled in at home, Sirius would check in and if things were still going well, they would leave Maggie for a second night. If it wasn't going well, he’d go and pick her up. As far as full moon plans went, it was as good as it would get. With the wolfsbane potion, Padfoot wasn’t as necessary as he had been when Remus had been overtaken by the raging consciousness of the wolf, but even though he didn’t say it, the thought of spending that horrible time alone made Remus anxious and itchy.

           As they stood in the warmth of the cottage, Remus felt the familiar heaviness in his joints, the aching in his bones. His head felt heavy and all of his movements were lethargic and felt much slower than they actually were. Molly, who was aware of his plight but was kind and enlightened enough not to comment or show any sort of fear, ushered them further in. “There’s tea and scones in the kitchen, boys. If you’d like, I can take the child and put her in with the others? There’s a quiet corner where she can sleep, and my Charlie is on babysitting duty. He won’t let anything happen to the poppet.”

            “Thank you, Molly,” Sirius said, rubbing a hand soothingly up and down Maggie’s back. “I’ll take her in there myself, if you don’t mind. She’s a bit touch-sensitive. We didn’t have a good day and she’ll probably sleep through until time to go home.”

            Knowing exactly how it was with children, Molly simply nodded with a quiet laugh and led them through the dim hallways toward the back where everyone was gathered. The other kids were playing quietly in what looked like a library, a fire going in the fireplace against the still chilly nights. “Charlie, love, this is Maggie. Don’t let the boys wake her up, now, alright?”

            Charlie, a stocky, well-built boy of ten, nodded and watched Sirius lay the smaller girl down on the chaise toward the back of the room. Remus shucked his overcoat and laid it across her as a blanket, the material covering her completely from chin to feet. “If she wakes, come get one of us, yeah?”

            Charlie nodded, curiosity clear in his gaze, even as he kept his silence. The moment the adults were gone, his brothers- Fred and George, a precocious four and a half, abandoned their game and came to investigate the new addition. “Who’s she?” George asked, and Charlie knew it was George because of the spelled ‘G’ on the back of his hand.

            “Maggie, now don’t wake her, or you’ll have to explain to mum why we’ve got a wailing baby on our hands.” Never one to mince words or take any guff, Charlie ushered them back toward the fire and the made-up card game they’d been mutilating. He picked up his book, _Dragons and their Keepers: A tale of bravery and dedication_. He’d found it in the bargain bin at the village bookstore and spent some of his hard earned coin to buy it just the day before, knowing that he had a long, boring night ahead of him. Sometimes there were more children to play with, and sometimes there was just him and his brothers, he had no idea what it was gonna be until he got there. Tonight was one of those nights where it was just him and the twins. Percy was at their aunt’s for the evening, and Bill, the lucky bastard, was at Hogwarts already.

            He couldn’t wait to get his letter, which should be coming his way after the first of the year. Then next year he’d be starting school. Well, starting _real_ school. He was attending the primary in the village, and had been since he was five. He liked it well enough, but he was bored with it. Well, he was bored with a lot of things. He glanced over at the girl still sleeping under Mr. Lupin’s coat. She was really little, smaller than the twins, and he wondered how old she was. She had pretty hair, the color lighter than his own bright copper. It was a little like sunshine in the firelight. He blinked and had the absurd thought that maybe she was a pixie that Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black had picked up as some sort of strange pet.

            Imagination getting the better of him, he kept staring at the girl, picturing her with a set of glistening, gossamer wings. He wondered what Maggie stood for, because as a pixie, that couldn’t be her real name, it was far too ordinary. Charlie had never seen a pixie, but Nym had told him one time that she spoke to them all the time. He was pretty sure that Nym was full of it and that pixies weren’t that easy to talk to. But at nearly twelve, she wasn’t shy about being a complete know-it-all. Just because you can make your stupid hair turn green and your tongue purple, it didn’t mean you knew more things.

            Shaking his head to clear it of his occasional playmate, he noticed that the girl was awake and looking at him. Her eyes were that light brownish green that Mr. Lupin’s were when he was really tired. She blinked and looked around them at the room, her expression growing alarmed when she didn’t recognize where she was and didn’t see anyone she knew. “Oh! Oh, don’t cry,” Charlie said quietly, but urgently and came to his feet. “I’m Charlie, and you’re okay. Your… dads? Are in the other room, talking to the other grownups.”

            “She’s awake,” one of the twins piped up happily, and they scrambled over each other in a gleeful, if clumsy tangle of limbs. Eager to have someone other than themselves and Charlie to keep them occupied, Fred and George swarmed the poor girl.

*~*~*

            “Well, I see that congratulations are in order, gentlemen,” the newly minted Mrs. Longbottom twinkled at them from across the table, her expressive dark eyes taking in their entwined fingers. Alice laughed at the dismayed face Remus sent her way and then rushed around to embrace the both of them. While Sirius’s arm was still around her shoulders, she turned and pointed playfully at Frank, “And, you, my love, owe me a proper London dinner!”

            Frank rolled his eyes, but was jovial in his greeting, giving both of them a manly, one-armed embrace. Remus grumbled, “Was everyone taking bets on us?”

            “Only a select few,” Frank smirked, then asked, “What brought this on? You two just wake up one day and realize that you’ve been bloody idiots for the last eleven or so years?”

            “Actually, that’s one of the things on our agenda tonight,” Sirius cut in mischievously. He winked over at Lily, who was pouring them each a steaming cup of tea. She and James had actually gotten there early to speak with McGonagall about the changes to their wedding plans. “You’ll just have to wait our turn and find out.”

            “Aw, c’mon, boys,” Alice tried to whine, but her voice was too filled with genuine happiness for it to truly work. She had been in their year, Frank a year ahead, and while they hadn’t been in the same exact circle of friends- Frank being a Hufflepuff, and Alice being more Lily’s friend than theirs- they’d all been friends. The forming of the Order went even further toward bringing them closer.

            “Nope, gotta wait,” Sirius teased, kissing the top of her head as he and Remus took their seats. He greeted the others, noting that Arthur, Marlene, and Hagrid were all missing. Dumbledore greeted them with a jovial smile and a nod, while McGonagall sent them a curt nod and a soft, happy expression. She looked inordinately pleased and when Remus took a seat next to her, she patted his hand in silent support.

            Moody glowered at Sirius for a moment, making the young auror squirm before snorting and passing his flask. “Congratulations, pup. You both could do worse.” Sirius visibly relaxed back into his chair as he took a hit off whatever Moody carried, biting back a gasp as it burned his mouth and throat as it went down. He’d half expected some shit about living with werewolves and making sure to keep his eyes open around such a dangerous beast. He should have known better. The older auror was wizened and battered for his age, but he wasn’t one to buy into bullshit propaganda. He’d seen evil and dangerous, faced things that Sirius had absolutely no desire to even glimpse. Remus wasn’t dangerous twenty-eight days out of the month, and even the wolf wasn’t classically evil.

            Peter held back, staring at them as if he wasn’t quite sure what to think. He was usually such an open book that the almost blank expression was disconcerting. His eyes narrowed as he noted Remus leaning into Sirius’s side more, the stiff movements making it obvious that the taller man was in pain. There was a time when Peter would have produced a chocolate frog and a few friendly, concerned murmurs and a shoulder pat. Not so much anymore. Through the last few months, he’d been withdrawing more and more, only showing his usual happy, naturally buoyant personality after they’d had a few pints at the local pub.

            As the rest settled in, Sirius thought back on the interactions with Pete since he’d started working at Gringotts, interning under Varien Malfoy, as per Dumbledore’s wishes. At first, they’d all worried over it, not wanting any of their close friends dealing with suspected Death Eaters, and anyone in the Malfoy family in particular. But of them all, Peter was the one that seemed less likely to be found out or poisoned within the first week. James had jokingly pointed out that as a natural kiss-arse, Pete was the best person for the job. He hadn’t realized that it had actually hurt their friend’s feelings. Since then, there had been a gradual pulling away, a distancing that had so far been almost undetected. They’d all chalked it up to all of them being busy and dealing with real world, adult-like issues for the first time. Sirius wasn’t entirely sure that’s what it was anymore.

            Of course, Pete still idolized James and to a lesser extent, Sirius. But he’d taken to staring at Moony when he thought no one else was noticing, looking with hooded and sometimes suspicious eyes. And Sirius didn’t like it, and he especially didn’t like how their old friend was looking at Remus now, with a barely hidden disgust that had never been there before.

            The Order members went around the table after Dumbledore's overly warm opening statements, reporting on their various tasks and discussing what steps were next. When it came to Remus, he gripped Sirius’s hand tighter and swallowed hard. It wasn’t as if he could keep her a secret, nor did he really want to. It was just that there was a horrid, sick feeling in his gut that told him he needed to be careful of who he told about Maggie’s parentage. If he and Sirius were already married and she was blood-adopted, it wouldn’t matter as much. But they weren’t yet, and things were still very vulnerable. But this was the Order of the Pheonix, their core members even. He trusted these people with his life, with Maggie’s and Sirius’s lives. He had known most of them his entire life. Six of them, if you counted Mad-Eye Moody, knew his deepest secret, and had for years. They weren’t to betray him now.

            He took a breath, and told them about Maggie. Then Sirius told them about their marriage plans, and the plans for the blood-adoption, which would make them an official, unbreakable family. In the middle of all the congratulations and happy hugs and kisses, Peter stood without a word and left. Silence fell in the room, everyone sitting in shock as the front door opened and then slammed shut, the sound reverberating through the walls.

 

*~*~*


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short, quick chapter, but I wanted to get this out now before the chaos of my week starts. :D Not quite sure when I'll be able to update next, so I wanted to take the opportunity now. Thank you guys for your awesome comments and kudos! *kisses*

*~*~*

            Stiffening up, Maggie prepared to bolt as the boys came at her in a tangle of happy limbs and giggling words. The taller boy that had spoken to her tried to intercept, but was too late and by the time he’d reached them, they were climbing up on the chaise with her. “Hi, I’m Fred,” one of them chirped, “And this is George.”

            “No, I’m Fred,” the other one tried, pushing at his brother. “And this is George. That’s Charlie. Our Mum is talking to the other grownups about grownup stuff. It’s boring here. Is Mr. Lupin your Da?”

            “What do you call Mr. Black? Do you call him Papa?” The other boy chimed in seamlessly as soon as his brother paused for a breath, “I think that’s what I would call him, if I couldn’t call him Da. You can’t call them both by the same name, that would be mad.”

            Maggie was staring at them, horrified. She hadn’t had any exposure to other kids, though she’d known she couldn’t be the only one. Their energy was loud, but the more they spoke, the more she relaxed into it. It wasn’t a bad kind of loud, it reminded her a bit of Padfoot when he was being silly and chasing her and Da in his puppy form. “What’s wrong,” the boy on the left asked, realizing that she wasn’t answering, or even trying to answer their questions, or telling them to stop and give her room. The words tapered off and she felt her face burn hotly at their sudden quiet.

            “Don’t be sad, Maggie,” the boy on the right said, his brown eyes shining with intelligence. “Your daddies are coming back.”

            She hadn’t even thought about that possibility. She looked over at the older boy, Charlie, and saw that he was caught between amused and worried. He didn’t want to get in trouble for them waking her up, but this was the most interesting thing to have happened in hours. He came forward as soon as he saw her looking at him and hauled the twins away, “Come on, brats, give her some room.”

            As soon as they were a decent distance away, Maggie sat up and looked around curiously. Now that she was aware that no one was going to hurt her and she was in a good place, she took in her physical surroundings. They were in a room with a lot of old books, like the library at her new home, only it wasn’t as nice. It smelled weird, all musty and closed, like no one had been in there in a long time. The fire looked warm and she wanted to go and sit by it because she was still cold; she’d been cold all day. Da had wrapped her in his coat, which was better than a blanket, because it smelled like him and made her feel safe, but it would be even better if she were wrapped in it in front of the flames.

            As if reading her mind, the boy on the right quipped, “Let’s go to the fire, Maggie! We made up a game, you can play with us!”

            Charlie looked like he didn’t quite know what to do or say about it. Mr. Lupin had said to go get them if she woke up, but he knew that there were important things going on with the adults, and she seemed completely fine for now. A little taken aback and unsure, but fine. He knew his little brothers could be a bit much, but as they helped her down off the chaise and led her over to where the cards were all scattered about, she seemed to relax. George was holding her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and it really was, Charlie thought. That was the most amazing thing about his little brothers, their ability to suss out the root of the problem, then fix it. Fred grabbed Mr. Lupin’s coat and drug it with him, tucked it around the little girl, then they proceeded to explain their madcap game.

*~*~*

           James stared at the closed door with a look of utter shock on his handsome face. Truly, that had been the very last thing he’d expected of Peter when he thought of how the other man would react to the news. Pete’s behavior hadn’t escaped his notice, of course, but he hadn’t thought it was a true resentment. They’d gone through times like this before, but nothing to this magnitude. The last time, Wormtail’s ire had been aimed at Lily, and it had been in seventh year when his affections had finally been openly returned. It hadn’t lasted longer than a few months, and by graduation, they’d all been pals again. This time was different.

            He looked over to see how the couple was handling the abrupt rejection and noted the crestfallen and worried look on Remus’s face, and the contemplative one on Sirius’s. Grey eyes found his, and he nodded grimly. There needed to be a conversation, and soon. These were dangerous times, and they could never be too careful, especially when it came to a potentially compromised friend. Peter and Remus had never been as close to each other as they were with the others. Not that it was by design, or James had never really thought of it as being by design. Now that he looked at it, the possibility was planted.

            Peter had never really been his own person, and during their first couple years, James had found the smaller boy a bit of a nuisance. It was flattering the way he always tried (and mostly failed) to copy the more popular boys, but it was also irritating. His jealousy over Remus fitting in so easily had been painfully obvious, but no one could explain that Remus fit in because he didn’t _try_ to fit in. One integral part of the quiet, frail-looking and sometimes irritable boy, had been his utter lack of caring. James distinctly remembered Remus saying one time during first year, _“I’m not here to make friends, you twat. I don’t give a rat’s arse one way or another.”_ With that brilliant statement, uttered with a harsh irritation, Remus had made himself a firm feature in James’s life.

            Pete had never understood, even though he’d eased up enough by second year that the other boys weren’t just including him because of an overinflated sense of obligation. He had proven himself a true friend through the years, to James and Sirius specifically and Remus by default. There had been the animagus process, which had been specifically _for_ Moony, and James had never before considered that it may have been a further ploy to keep himself close to the other boys. It hurt to think of it as anything but pure, so he tried to give Peter the benefit of a doubt. But there would be a conversation, and soon.

*~*~*

            Quickly losing whatever motivation he had to stay at the meeting, Remus murmured his intent to Sirius and went to gather Maggie. He wanted to be home, curled up in bed with his love, or sequestered in the library with a mind-numbing volume of something obscure, but preferably the first. The scene that greeted him when he came to the door where the children were tucked away made his spirits lift considerably, and returned a bit of the feeling of well-being that had fled with Peter.

            Maggie was awake and bundled up in his coat by the fire, enraptured by the Weasley twins as they chattered rapidly, one on either side. They were flipping playing cards, explaining what sounded like nonsense rules as they did. Charlie had pulled his chair closer and was watching them with a bemused expression, a forgotten book in his freckled hands. At the sound of the door opening, all four redheads looked up, Maggie’s face brightening into a full smile. “Da,” she called happily and he nearly stumbled over his own feet at the sound of it. She hadn’t actually called him anything yet, holding her silence unless she absolutely had to speak up. He’d been so worried about leaving her on her own with the other kids, not knowing how she’d react if she woke without him or Padfoot nearby.

            Leave it to the Weasleys to not only put her at ease, but to break that remaining distrust the little girl had carried. He made a note to add Molly as a possible safe person for his daughter. At the very least, the twins would be good playmates to socialize Maggie with before school. Charlie looked a bit sheepish, “I know you said to go get you if she woke up, Mr. Lupin, but she seemed to be okay playing with Fred and George.”

            “It’s fine, Charlie,” Remus assured him and ignoring the increasing ache in his joints, knelt down next to Maggie to comment, “This looks like an interesting game.”

            “It is, Mr. Lupin!” The boy with the ‘F’ on the back of his hand grinned up at him, moving a two of spades around to sit on a queen of hearts. “We didn’t actually get to play any, b’cause the rules are so many, but Maggie’s smart.”

            “Yeah,” George agreed, placing his ace of diamonds on top of the four of hearts, then tapped it twice with his fingertip. Fred groaned dramatically and tossed up the bundle of cards he had clutched in his hand. Both of the boys dissolved into laughter and Charlie rolled his eyes as Maggie smiled at her new friends.

            “Are you ready to go home, Mags?” Remus was almost hesitant to draw her away, feeling as if he were interrupting something profoundly important. But she nodded and clambered to her feet amid the protests. “It’s all right, boys, I’ll talk to your mum and see if she’d be all right with a day to have all of you together for playtime.”

            The twins cheered and Charlie rolled his eyes, and said with wisdom disguised as exasperation, “Are you sure you want to get them started, Mr. Lupin? I’m not sure we can all survive making them a trio.”

            The boy had a point, but Remus hadn’t ever seen Maggie this happy or comfortable away from Sirius, and he was willing to put up with a bit of chaos to keep it. When they met Sirius in the hallway, he noted the easy smile on Remus’s face and immediately felt something dark and cold ease inside him. “That’s a happy sight,” he commented, kissing Maggie’s temple, then the corner of Remus’s lips. “I take it she has some new playmates?”

            “I do believe she does,” Remus answered, and rubbed his cheek against her hair. “But for right now, I believe it’s time for us to make our way home.”

            “Long since time,” Sirius agreed and sighed, leading the way outside. “I feel a long soak and a soft blanket is in order.”

            “I knew you had good ideas once in a while,” Remus said dryly, and he felt a warmth when Sirius laughed and took his hand. Once they were out of the garden gates and a few paces away, they apparated out.

*~*~*


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am totally earning the mature rating in this chapter! Short but intense chapter that has sexing in it, so if that's not your cup of tea, it may be good to skip it. :D Thanks for reading!

*~*~*

_The wards pinged, sending minute shockwaves through him and jolting him awake. Bolting upright, he threw the blankets off and automatically took stock of where he was and what was around him. The bedroom was dimly lit by the moonlight filtering in through the open curtains, his dark haired partner was up and hurriedly slipping into a pair of soled slippers he always kept by the bedside, just in case. Auror training had drilled the possibility of a home invasion into his head, as had the very real threat of their family being targeted._

_Remus didn’t take the time for anything, immediately rushing for the door with his wand drawn and clenched tightly in his fist. There were crashes from the lower level, snarls and growls reverberating through the polished halls and up the stairs. He felt the familiar fear crash over him as Sirius jerked his head toward Maggie’s room, before he disappeared down into the maelstrom. Remus’s job was to get Maggie to safety and call for help. They’d discussed this. Maggie was priority._

_He didn’t want Sirius to face whatever was thrashing their home alone, but he had to make sure their daughter was safe. Once she was safe, then he could help. When he ran into her room, her bed was empty. Blankets were in a pool on her pretty rug, the sheets and mattress a shredded mess. The window was broken, shards of bloodied glass all over the floor, sparkling in the light of the nearly full moon. Something had come in through the window, and had taken his child._

_Turning around, Remus felt everything slowing to an agonizing pace, the beat of his heart rushing in his ears the only thing he could hear. The snarling form of the wolf was crouched behind him, teeth and claws dripping crimson. Peter’s voice came from the creature, distorted and wrong, “Guess where your tasty pup is now, Lupin?”_

            “Remus! Moony, wake up!” The snap of Sirius’s voice above him finally broke through and Remus peered blearily up at the handsome face mere inches away from his own. He was pinned underneath the other man’s body, their legs intertwined and his hands trapped between their chests. They were both breathing hard, and there was a darkening bruise forming over Sirius’s left eye.

            “Oh, Merlin, I’m sorry,” Remus breathed immediately, his voice hoarse from screaming. “I’m so sorry.”

            “Shh, it’s all right now, Moony,” Sirius soothed, and loosened one of his hands after a slight hesitation, reaching up to brush Remus’s hair out of his face, then cradled the other man’s jaw. “It’s all right, it was a nightmare, love, just a fucking nightmare.”

            “It’s not all right,” Remus’s voice was thick with tears and he turned his head to the side, squeezing his eyes shut. “I hurt you. _Christ_ , _I fucking hurt you_.”

            “You didn’t know it was me,” Sirius cupped his face with both hands now, turning it up so that they were nearly nose to nose. “Listen to me, it was a very, very bad night terror, Moons. You were screaming as if someone was murdering us all. I shouldn’t have touched you, it’s all right. I should have known you’d come up swinging. I know I would have. It’s all right. A quick healing charm will fix me up good.”

            Remus felt a sob welling up painfully in his chest and he tried to swallow it back. It refused and soon another followed, and then he was clutching Sirius and full out crying as if his heart were breaking. Sirius moved them so that he was cradling Remus against him, wrapping his entire body around him like he had so many times before when they were boys. It hadn’t happened as often as they aged, but there had been a time when it had nearly been a nightly thing. Remus had done the same for him on those nights where the pressures of his home life had been too much and he’d snapped under the pressure.

            “I need to check on her,” Remus muttered after several long minutes and the broken cries slowed to almost nothing. He was exhausted, but couldn’t rest until he knew Maggie was sleeping safely in her bed.

            “Of course.” Sirius spoke against the side of his head, lips pressed lightly to his skin. “Let’s go make sure our Mags is all right.” They disentangled, but Sirius stopped him from immediately going to the door. He pulled him close again, bringing their foreheads together and their bare torsos nearly touching. This close to the full moon, Remus couldn’t handle much against his skin as he slept. “Don’t beat yourself up for hurting me in your sleep, Moony. It was a reflex and out of your control.”

            The breath that Remus sucked in was far from steady and he shook his head. “I never want to ever hurt you, Padfoot. In any way. Logically, I know that’s impossible, that with our lives and our very natures it’s inevitable in one way or another.”

            Sirius wrapped long fingers around the back of his neck and angled his mouth over his. Remus gripped his sides as he gave into the pull, opening up to allow his friend and lover in. After a moment, they pulled apart, the tripping hearts having nothing to do with fear this time. Remus swallowed hard and forced himself to step back. Maggie first.

            Linking hands, they moved out into the hallway and down to the slightly open door to Maggie’s bedroom. She was sleeping soundly, curled up toward the backside of the bed, her tiny fingers wrapped around one of the iron bars that made up the frame. The bar glowed a faint light blue where she gripped it, illuminating the perfect line of her face. The wards flowed over them as they came close, the powerful rune magic seeking and approving their presence. James and his father had done a brilliant job, Remus realized, and some of the awful fear dissipated.

            He eased down onto the edge of the mattress and touched a trembling hand to her hair gently. She was warm and peaceful, so deep into sleep that she didn’t even stir. He retreated just as quietly as he’d approached, watching from the doorway as Sirius tucked her blanket up further around her.

            The moment they were back in their own bedroom, Sirius pinned him back against the closed door. Fingers clutched in silky curls and held his head back as a hot and demanding mouth closed over his again. Banked desire came back full force as a well-muscled thigh came between his legs, putting welcome friction against his growing erection. They hadn’t actually gone all the way with their sexual explorations, saving it for after they were married. It wasn’t really out of any outdated moral reasons, or even really because of anything they’d discussed. It was more the fact that they’d waited this long, what was a couple more months? They’d played, of course, they were only human and sharing a bed wasn’t exactly conductive toward staying completely celibate.

            Remus sucked in a harsh breath as Sirius jerked on his hair again, a hot spiral of need going straight to his cock. They’d been learning each other slowly over the last few weeks, taking their time. Sirius had figured out quickly that Remus liked to have his hair pulled, the action immediately putting him in ‘that spot’, escalating play time to an immediate need.

            “Sirius,” he growled, hands tightening reflectively before going to cup the back of Sirius’s thighs. With a hard pull, he hauled the shorter man up, forcing him to wrap legs around his waist with a grunt of surprise. It was easy to forget how fucking _strong_ Remus was in their day to day life. It was always a bit of a thrill to realize that there was a lot of control to the wolf, to keeping to what was considered ‘normal’ in most eyes.

            As Remus laid him down on their bed, Sirius groaned and opened his legs to welcome his narrow hips. Their erections ground together through the thin material of pajama pants and with a word, even that barrier was gone. Flesh to flesh, they moved, Remus sucking hard on pale skin as he made his way down muscled shoulders to nip at the sensitive spot just to the left of Sirius’s bellybutton.

            Hips jerking, Sirius nearly choked as lips and blunt teeth worried the flesh over his hipbone before traveling again and stopping at his inner thigh, sending electric tingles straight to his core. This was _his_ trigger, the combination of small pains and soothing sucks and warm tongue. He whined as he felt the softness of Remus’s hair brush over his thighs and he lifted his knee up and to the side, losing his breath completely as a strong hand gripped the back of his leg, fingers biting in, bordering on too tight. Then that hot, talented mouth was closing over his cock, swallowing him down in one smooth motion.

            “Remus!” The shout that left him then was far from dignified and his own fingers flew to tangle and grip at Remus’s hair, carding through the shorter strands as he moved in a brutal pace. “Fuck! Moony, I’m not… _Oh, Merlin, Remus!_ ”

            It was over far too quickly, the combination and determination of Remus’s mouth and hands too much. Sirius came with a stuttering gasp, his hips bucking up hard, eyes filling with tears at the force of his orgasm. Collapsing back against the cushioned mattress, he gasped for air and fought with the overwhelming emotion that gripped him. He hadn’t ever experienced anything even close to what had just happened, and he’d had more than his share of encounters through the years.

            The rumble of Remus’s chuckle had his stomach muscles tightening again and he jerked on the tendrils of hair still clutched in his fingers, pulling the other man up so he could take his mouth. It tasted of the salty, slightly bitter remains of his own release, and instead of being revolting, it sent more shockwaves through him. In a burst of energy, he flipped them so that Remus was pinned against the bed and he gripped the leaking and neglected length in a firm stroke. All amusement gone, his partner let out a sound somewhere between a whine and a growl, hips surging up into the touch. Pressing his thigh up against hardening balls, Sirius twisted his wrist and jerked, latching teeth into the crook of skin where shoulder met neck. He sucked the flesh into his mouth hard, then felt his lover jerk and stiffen with a cry, hot liquid surging over fingers and thighs.

            After, when they were cleaned up and in fresh linens, Sirius lay awake with Remus dozing with his head resting on his stomach. He stroked a languid hand compulsively over the overwarm shoulders and realized that the surge of emotion hadn’t eased from his chest; it was still tight and swollen with it, making everything go into a higher level of… of something. He couldn’t put words to it. It was stronger than love, so much stronger. It went beyond anything else he had ever felt, and it scared the living hell out of him. Remus moved his face into his skin, huffing a quiet breath as he inhaled unconsciously. Sirius closed his eyes and knew that he would die to keep this, to protect the man he’d known forever and just now claimed as his.

*~*~*


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not entirely happy with the end of this bit, but I wanted to get moving again. :D I hope it's not too awful. Thanks again for all the kudos and awesome messages! I never get tired of seeing people enjoying my work.

*~*~*  

            Because the occasion called for it, Remus found himself held hostage in the back room of the exclusive tailor James and Sirius had insisted on for the dress robes for the wedding. Lily was with him, seeing as their other halves were being complete and utter bastards, at least in Remus’s eyes. What had started out as friendly ribbing about Remus being the ‘bride to be’, had quickly turned to a serious debate on traditions. Which meant that James had gotten it into his silly skull that Sirius couldn’t see Remus in his wedding day attire until they were walking down the aisle.

            “Bunch of fucking bullocks,” Remus grumbled, glaring at his reflection as the older tailor moved around him with a floating measuring tape that spouted off the numbers in a sing-song tone that was undoubtedly supposed to be cute. It was bloody annoying. “If that poncy twat thinks I’m walking down the damn isle with a bouquet of pink roses, he’s got another thing coming. And I am _not_ wearing white.”

            Lily failed miserably at hiding her laugh. She was sitting in a posh chair off to the side, holding an ignored Witch’s Weekly magazine as she watched her friend work himself up into a full rant. She was enjoying this far too much. “He just wants you to have the day you deserve, Remus.”

            Remus turned his glare in her direction and jabbed a finger at her. “You are not helping. The barmy git offered me one of his mother’s pearl earrings as ‘something borrowed’. He wanted you to wear the other one. While it is a very sweet gesture, I don’t fucking want to wear women’s gold inlaid pearl earrings.”

            Lily’s laugh rang out through the men’s parlor, clear and hearty. The sheer joy in it made Remus smile despite himself, and when it didn’t stop after a full minute, he joined her. Tension broken, they wiped at the tears in their eyes and let the harried, but too professional and classy to show it, tailor to finish taking down measurements. Another hour and several different styles tried on and discarded, Remus finally found the right robes that were comfortable enough, and yet stylishly elegant enough to make Lily sigh and press a hand to her chest.

            “That is your color, Remus. It makes your eyes look like leaves in the autumn. Sirius is going to cry when he sees you, darling.”

            “He’s going to cry no matter what I wear, Lils,” Remus stated dryly, but his smile was soft as he looked at the forest green fabric with the understated golden brown accents. It _was_ a good color on him, he noted, and nodded when the tailor looked at him questioningly. The cut was also very flattering for his tall, lean frame, tucking in at all the right places to highlight his broad shoulders and narrow hips. “But yeah, this is the one I want, thank you.”

            “And now, we head out to muggle London for the tuxedo fitting to go under it.” Remus’s eyes widened and he shot her a disbelieving stare, his habitually slouched shoulders going straight and bringing him to his full, impressive height.

            “There is no way I am wearing a full tuxedo underneath dress robes. I’ll wear black slacks and an overpriced and overstarched shirt. I’m putting a foot down, Evans, a firm fucking foot.”

            She laughed again, her green eyes shining at him in high amusement, “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Lupin, I was just putting you on. We do need to get you into some new trousers and shirts, though. But I agree that a tux is going too far.”

            Somewhat mollified, Remus allowed the tailor to help him out of the expensive fabric and rubbed at his tired eyes. He was still exhausted in the aftermath of the full moon, despite it being one of the easiest he’d had since the first time the other Marauders had joined him when they were boys. The toll the transformations took on his human body were damning, even without the deep self-inflicted wounds of his youth. Recovery time was much better with the Wolfsbane potion he’d started taking upon the urging of Professor Slughorn, who had put two and two together right around sixth year. Remus had a feeling it had a lot to do with Severus Snape and ‘The Incident that Must Not Be Mentioned’.

            They had obviously gotten past that horrible time in their friendship, but there were still times when Sirius got a dark look in his eyes and went a little too soft in his dealings with Remus. They hadn’t spoken for nearly three months after that awful morning when Remus had woken up in worse shape than he’d ever endured. It had been the darkest part of his life, the agony of his physical recovery took a firm backseat to the torture of knowing that his best friend- and at that point, the boy he’d fallen in love with, had on a dangerous, hot-headed whim said some things that could have killed Severus and put Remus on the executioner’s short list.

            Three months he’d avoided even looking at Sirius, one month of that had been easy since he’d been sequestered in the infirmary with life threatening wounds that were slow to heal. The month after he’d been released had been a furious hurt that died down to a dark depression by the time the third month had finally broken the two boys. The reckoning had happened after dark on the astronomy tower deck, Remus finally having had enough of the tense silence and feeling as if a part of him was gone forever. He confronted Sirius, words were said, tears were shed, and after a loud and intense hour, they’d embraced as if their lives depended on it. They’d cried together until everything dried up and they’d lay on the cold stone floor, Sirius’s face buried in Remus’s neck and their arms wrapped around each other so tightly it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

            It had been the beginning of their healing, and through the years since, Sirius had almost gone into overload on being protective over his friend. James hadn’t been much better, the experience opening his eyes to the fact that Remus’s lycanthropy wasn’t a lark, and it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. He’d known, of course, because he was far from dull, but he’d been thinking of Remus and the wolf as being one and the same, albeit the wolf a bit more violent. Remus was his second best mate, the chocolate-addicted boy that was better at the mothering hen shite than his mother, the boy that was quietly devious and clever enough to keep them all from getting expelled while still managing to set off some of the more spectacular pranks Hogwarts had ever seen. He’d looked past the raging beast and saw the full moon as a playtime, as just another way for the four boys to romp and have fun. The danger had been there, of course, but James hadn’t really believed the transformed Remus was truly deadly.

            After that night, James had gained a new and healthier respect for the dark half of his friend. But he’d also been drawn in closer to the boy he was twenty-eight days of the month after he’d held the broken mess that had been left in the aftermath. To this day, he still hasn’t seen that much blood in one place and from one source. He hadn’t believed that the tall, lanky form had even been capable of bleeding out that much. He would never forget the way the unshakable Madame Pomfrey had called out in horror and the unconscious cries Remus made as they pushed bones back in where they were supposed to be in order to move him. It had taken nearly a year for Remus to finally get him to back off of the smothering, overly solicitous behavior that thankfully stopped short of James casting a cushioning charm over him before they left the dorms.

            Peter had retreated in a way that Remus had expected from all of them from the very beginning. It had still hurt to see that fear in his friend’s eyes, and the way he’d flinched back whenever Remus came too close. That behavior had continued until James had noticed and called him on it. It hadn’t ever truly faded, and looking back over the recent actions of their fourth Marauder, Remus knew now that it had most likely been the turning point for the other man.

            As he followed Lily out of the shop in Diagon Alley and into the sunshine, he breathed in deep of the spring air and felt a surge of gratefulness that fate had brought Sirius, James, and Lily into his life. Peter was lost to him, and Remus had known that for a while now, but he still had the others. And as Lily slipped her arm through his and drug him off for lunch before going out into the London population, he figured it was more than enough.

*~*~*

            “What do you think of this one, Mags,” Sirius held up a light lavender dress that seemed to be more frills than anything else. Her nose wrinkled and she shook her head. He looked a little crestfallen, staring over the array of fluff he’d been pulling off the racks in an attempt to find the right dress for Maggie for the wedding. She was starting to get a little cranky, he could tell, having drug her through his and James’s final fittings for dress robes, and a side trip to muggle London for shoes and some other random things.

            “Maybe we should let Lily and Mrs. Lupin take care of Maggie’s things,” James suggested with a laugh. He winked down at the toddler, who gave a small huff as if she agreed. She was still too quiet, but it was heartening to see her as she was now versus the way she’d been a mere month ago.

            “I think you’re right,” Sirius conceded with a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. He smiled at Maggie and winked, “You’re a harder sell than your Da is, and I thought that would never be possible.”

            “True words, Padfoot,” James snorted, and his grin was wicked as he added, “I wonder how the appointment at the tailor is going. He seemed a bit put off this morning when they started out.”

            “He’s going to get back at you in a spectacular way, Prongs,” Sirius laughed, remembering the sour look on Remus’s face when they’d parted after breakfast that morning. “I do suggest you lay off on the entire ‘bride’ nonsense.”

            Maggie slipped off the stool she’d been sitting on while she watched the men go through dress after dress, trying to get her approval on something. The sales clerk came around the corner and smiled brightly at the girl and asked, “Did your daddy find something you like, little one?” Her voice was pitched a little too high and a little too sweet. Maggie scowled and moved back behind James, who was closer. She gripped the fabric of his trousers and peered around the side, eyeing the woman distrustfully.

            James, though a bit surprised, touched a hand to the top of her head reassuringly. “No such luck,” he grinned, thinking about how amazingly similar the girl was to Remus. “She’s a bit too much like her Da and Aunt Lily.”

            Sirius snickered and pointed at finger at him, “I’d bet they’d both take it as a compliment.” He glanced at the young woman and added, “Sorry about the mess here, luv. I think it would be best to let her gran and aunt have a go at it at a different time.”

            “It’s no problem, sir,” the girl dimpled prettily and said, “Your niece is darling.”

            James bit back on his amusement and glanced down at Maggie, who was still staring at the clerk with suspicion. He hefted her up and rested her on his hip easily as if he’d done it a million times. She clung to his shirt, a little unsure, but relaxed when he brought her over toward Padfoot, where she reached for him with a small noise of discontent.

            “She’s my daughter, and thank you,” Sirius grinned and nuzzled his nose against Maggie’s, who wrinkled hers at him and managed a smile. Emotion burst in his chest as he said it, and he ignored the way the clerk’s smile went a bit brittle when he continued, “She takes after my fiance, who’s a bit on the finicky side, but gorgeous enough to be able to let it slide.”

            “Right,” the girl said stiffy as she bent to pick up a handful of colorful fabric to take back to the racks. James rolled his eyes and tugged playfully at Maggie’s ponytail when the clerk disappeared back around the corner without another word. The chits were going to be disappointed when the word got out that Sirius Black was no longer on the market.

            "Are you two ready to eat? There's a new curry place around the corner I've been itching to try," James suggested with a jerk of his head toward the exit. "I doubt we're gonna do much better on shopping at the moment." 

            The minute they walked into the mostly crowded restaurant, Sirius felt Maggie crowd closer to his legs, all but wrapping herself around him. The hostess greeted them with a polite request for their names, and if they were meeting anyone else. “Just us,” James chirped cheerily, inhaling the spicy scents warming the air. “Though I wouldn’t be surprised if Lily and Remus were somewhere in the neighborhood.”

            “We could get a message to them to meet us here,” Sirius said absently, then squatted down to check in with Maggie. “You all right, darling?”

            “Papa,” she whispered and his head felt a little light. She hadn’t called him this before, in fact, this was the first time she’d directly addressed him in any formal way. She swallowed, looking nervous, since this was the first time she’d dared to repeat what her strange redheaded friend had planted in her head when they’d played the last time. It had been there, on the tip of her tongue, waiting to come out the way it had when she’d called out to Da for the first time. “Papa, I need to use the loo.”

            As mundane as the moment would appear to those standing on the outside, Sirius couldn’t help his rather teary reaction as he crushed her to him in a tight embrace. He’d thought of her as his daughter from the moment the idea of him and Remus getting married had occurred to him, and it had become more and more real the longer they’d lived as a family. In a couple short weeks, they would all be magically bound together as a family as real if Maggie had been naturally born of his flesh. This, though… this was the moment when it was really _real_ , hearing her call him Papa… The Papa to Remus’s Da. Feeling a bit overdramatic, he picked her up and turned to James, who was smirking through his own bout of emotion. “I’m gonna take her to the loo, I’ll see you at the table.”

*~*~*           


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL! Okay, so it seems as if there's no middle ground when it comes to updating this fic! :) Either it's a couple weeks, or one a day... I didn't think you guys would mind, so here we go.

*~*~*

            “You’re a fucking disgrace, Black.” Sirius bit back a vile oath and tried to pretend that he hadn’t heard the low, growled words. He was waiting outside the newly appointed Madame Bones’s office, paperwork in hand that would change his beneficiary status and next of kin the moment he and Remus were officially married. It was one of the last things he needed to get done before their marriage that Saturday. Mixed in with the forms was the time off request- he was going to surprise Remus with a grand holiday to wherever the other man wished for their honeymoon. Remus's parents had insisted on taking Maggie for the first week, and James and Lily had pitched in to take Maggie for the second week, if the little girl would allow it. If she wasn’t certain, then the Lupins had firmly stated they'd keep her longer. Sirius wasn’t sure that either of them could be away from the child for that long, so he'd included plans for them to come back to retrieve her early.

            “I know you can hear me.”

            “Yeah, I can hear you,” Sirius said nonchalantly, the only sign of his distress the tightness of his fingers on the papers. His free hand slipped into his pocket and gripped his wand, just in case. They were in the middle of the ministry, right outside the Department Head of Magical Defense, and he didn’t think that even Lucius was mad enough to push it to the point of violence. “I just don’t care to answer. Now, I’m pretty sure you’ve other things to attend rather than harass people in the hallway, Malfoy. I suggest you go to it.”

            “People like you deserve to burn.” Sirius finally looked at the other man, eyeing the icy gray eyes and white blonde hair pulled back from an equally cold face. Lucius looked tall and furious, his expensive robes immaculate, broad hands covered with supple black leather gloves. It almost seemed ridiculous to assume those words had come from someone who _looked_ so educated. A smirk lifted the corner of thin lips and the former Slytherin hissed, “And you _will_ burn before it’s all said and done. Your mother sends her regards, Black.”

            Madame Bones’s door opened and Lucius straightened, gave a polite nod, then was off down the hall with an arrogant swish of his robes.

            Malfoy’s words echoed through Sirius’s mind through the rest of his day, and created a sour pit in his stomach by the time he made it home. When he stepped through the wards and then into the house, he felt the warmth of uncharacteristic noise and the magical signatures of his favorite people surround him. When he stepped into the back, he was greeted by a number of their Hogwarts friends and chosen family, the area lit with the soft glow of lanterns and generous decorations.

            He found Remus, looking a bit harried by the entrance of the kitchen. Warm amber eyes locked on his and Sirius felt the ice that had built up around his heart melt. “What’s this,” he asked, sliding up to slip an arm around Remus’s waist, coming in to press his lips to a fragrant jawline.

            “They surprised me around one, and forbid me to contact you. They said that we were to have an engagement party and we had no say in it whatsoever.”

            “Aren’t surprise parties supposed to be at a different location than the home of the surprised,” Sirius questioned, but his eyes were shining as he looked around at the happy faces of his friends.

            “No one else has a place as posh as this,” Frank called out from his place next to Alice. He held out a crystal tumbler filled with something dark amber and faintly smoking, “To the happy couple! May your life always be filled with joy, your home with abundance, and your bedroom with passion!”

            Everyone gave a cheer and raised whatever beverage they were holding. Sirius took the opportunity to grip Remus’s surprised face and pull him down and into a heated kiss filled with teeth and tongue. Remus melted immediately, his own hands going to rest against the base of Sirius’s spine, pressing them closer together as he opened up and managed to deepen the kiss. Catcalls and whistles erupted around them, along with roared laughter.

            The confrontation with Lucius earlier was shoved away into the dark where it belonged along with any mention of his mother. They had no place here, or anywhere in Sirius’s life. They couldn’t take what he’d built for himself; they may cast ominous shadows and hurl insults, but they were powerless as long as Sirius didn’t give them power. _This_ was his life, and it was happy.

*~*~*

            Maggie watched the other children in the backyard as they floated along a few feet above the ground on small brooms. The older boys were a bit higher up, keeping in line with the rooftop of her house. Fred was next to her, holding his own broom in a freckled hand. “Come on up with us, Maggie,” he urged, “It’s fun! We can’t go as high as Bill or Charlie, but we can go pretty fast. It doesn’t hurt if you fall off, you just tumble a bit and get back up. You can come with me; my broom can hold us both… you’re really little.”

            She didn’t like the idea of tumbling a bit, it sounded dangerous, and no one had asked the grownups about flying at all. Her Da had said it was all right to go outside with the other kids, in fact, he’d looked happy that she was wanting to. But Papa hadn’t come home yet, and she wanted to see him. There’d been a sick in her stomach today, and not the kind where she wanted to throw up, but a tense kind of sick like there was something wrong. There were so many people in her house, most of them she’d never met before. All of them were kind and happy, which in turn made it easier. But she still wanted to see Papa.

            She heard the door open behind them then and her heart leapt with joy. “Papa,” she called quietly and ran to him, laughing as he scooped her up and tossed her in the air before clutching her tight.

            “There’s my Mags. What’s all this?” He took in the mess of children in various stages of flight around his large back garden, grinning from ear to ear.

            “Mum told us we could fly, as long as we didn’t go above the house,” Fred explained for Maggie, running up to Sirius with a toothy smile. “Maggie’s afraid, but I told her that we can’t go very high and it doesn’t hurt to tumble. She could go with me on my broom, Mr. Black.”

            “Do you want to fly, Miss Maggie?” Sirius asked her, peering down into her flushed face. She looked happy and a little nervous, eyes more amber in this light than green. Andy’s kid touched down, her brilliant purple hair flying around her face as she laughed and punched Charlie’s arm when he landed next to them. When James and Lily had arranged this little ‘engagement party’, they’d invited everyone that was important to both Remus and Sirius, and that had included the only blood family Sirius still claimed. He’d just been surprised that Andromeda and her muggle husband, Ted, had made the time to come.

            “Hey, Nym, can I borrow your broom,” Sirius called, and was rewarded with a shouted yes and the girl’s hair flowing to a light green as she jogged over and handed him the slightly battered broom. It had been her mother’s in school, Andromeda having been the keeper for Slytherin during four of her years at Hogwarts. Nym was hoping to follow in her footsteps, only on the Gryffindor team, and she was hoping for a chaser position.

            “Don’t wreck it,” the pre-teen ordered, but she looked far from worried.

            “Alright, Mags, if you get scared, it’s okay, we can come right back down,” Sirius told the little girl as he set the broom to floating and got on, resting her in front of him with her legs to the side and her back firmly against his chest. “I’ve got you and I won’t let go, yeah?”

            She gripped his arm where it was resting across her ribs, and watched as he gripped the broom handle in front of her. “You ready, love?”

            Maggie nodded shortly, excitement and fear coiling in her gut as they very slowly rose into the air. Her breath held as they gently eased into a wide circling of the garden, the other children cheering as they went past, calling out encouragement. After she started to relax a little, getting used to the feeling of being in the air, Sirius took them a bit higher, noticing Remus coming out of the back doors.

            He flashed a stupid grin at his lover and whispered to Maggie, “Hey, there’s your Da. Give him a wave.”

            Her head turned to see her Da standing on the garden steps, watching them with a gentle smile and slightly worried eyes, his arms crossed over his chest. Extending a lot of trust, Maggie loosened a hand from the death grip she had on Sirius’s arm and waved it toward Remus briefly, then latched it back on. Sirius took them on another gentle swoop of the garden, having gone no higher than the third floor balcony, then maneuvered them back toward the ground.

            “That was brilliant!” The twins rushed them the moment their feet were back on the ground, Maggie breathless and a little shaky. “Can we go up with you too?”

            “Maybe later, boys,” Sirius laughed, and handed Nym’s broom back to her with a wink. “Thanks, Locks.”

            “Locks?” Nym looked confused, but shook it off when Bill lobbed a magicked dirt clod in her direction before taking off into the air with her yelling for retribution as she went after him.

            “That was some impressive flying,” Remus said warmly, and laughed when one of the twins gripped Maggie’s hand and tugged her to where his own practice broom was, chattering about when they were bigger and could fly _over_ the house.

            Sirius came up next to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning into his side. “How did we get so lucky to fall into this life, Moony?”

            Remus kissed his temple and watched their little girl eagerly climb on the kid’s broom with her friend, her fear forgotten in the face of the boy’s enthusiasm. “I don’t know, Padfoot. I really don’t know, but I’ll take it.”

*~*~*

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, yet another chapter! :) Thanks so much for all the encouragement! I have a few days off coming up, so I should be able to go with this surge of creativity and really make a go of it.

*~*~*

            “Hey, Pete.” The shorter, chubby young man jumped and whirled around at the sound of his oldest mate’s unusually subdued voice. He was sitting on the back balcony of his new apartment, the glass of expensive ale clutched in his hand guiltily as he noted the sad look on James’s face. The other boys hadn’t been here before, Peter having made excuse after excuse for them not to. He hadn’t wanted them to see how well he was doing now that he was working with, under, and _for_ Varien Malfoy. He hadn’t been entirely honest with The Order, and at first, that had bothered him. It had bothered him more that he hadn’t been entirely honest with _James_ , and maybe Sirius.

            Sirius, though… Sirius was a blood traitor that was fucking an abomination, and was about to marry it and let it take the old and noble name of Black. And James was all right with it. Fuck, James was more than all right with it, he was sharing his wedding date, the most important day in the other man’s life- the one day he’d been planning since he’d first spoken to the pretty Lily Evans when he was still too young to realize exactly what he was about.

            Varien had opened his eyes to the charlatan Sirius Black really was, playing into Peter’s own fears in a master’s way of whispering and twisting words and emotions. The elder Malfoy had taken Peter under his wing, given him attention and an offhand affection that he hadn’t received before. Late nights at Gringotts had led to tired conversations over expensive dinners delivered to the older man’s office with even more expensive brandy sipped over piles of backlogged paperwork. The Black family, Varien had pointed out idly when Sirius had come up in conversation by accident when they were speaking casually of their families, was a good and _pure_ bloodline, with morals and high class sophistication that could only come with generational wealth that dated back to the oldest of scrolls.

            It was a shame that Sirius had walked away from it, from his mother, who was a good, if stern, woman. Varien had shook his head and sighed as if the words pained him, slate colored eyes sharp on Peter’s flushed face as he absorbed every word. The mild _unctuous unction_ potion that the young Snape had altered and Varien slipped into that expensive brandy went a long way toward lowering the young man’s inhibitions and distrust. A few more doses and well spoken words over the next few weeks had done the damage needed.

            The elder Malfoy had petitioned for Peter to become a full time assistant, with generous salary and cheap living quarters in an apartment complex usually reserved for the highest of the high society. All the while, more poison was poured into his heart, but he couldn’t bring himself to think badly of James Potter. “ _The Potter family is a disgrace, though I dare say their scrolls go back nearly as far as the Malfoy and Black families. Pity their heir associates with such filth as the Lupin boy. And marrying a muggleborn… You are good to remain friends with young Potter, Mr. Pettigrew. Maybe your influence could bring him around.”_

            Seeing James’s face now, Peter knew that Mr. Malfoy was wrong about him ever changing his mind. It was one of the things that Peter had always admired about the other boy, among other things. He felt a surge of anger and pain as his friend took a seat on the chair next to him. They didn’t speak for a long time, and Peter braced himself.

            “I’m marrying Lily in two days,” James finally spoke, running his hands through his disheveled hair out of habit. Peter almost smiled at the once contrived action that had become an unconscious trademark. Pained brown eyes looked from the colorful tiles on the floor to Peter’s face, locking eyes as he tried to find any sign of the sweet friend he’d graduated with. “Sirius and Remus are going to share our day, and then we’re going to witness…”

            Peter stood up, suddenly unable to keep still and listen to this… this… _blasphemy_. He walked to the edge of the balcony and set his glass aside, shaking hands gripping the railing. He could hear James stand up too, but he didn’t come any closer. “I don’t know what changed, Pete, but I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. Is it because they’re marrying each other? Is that what you have a problem with? You and I used to joke about locking them in the dorm closet with a jar of lube and an instruction manual to get them to admit they were hot for each other! Was that the lie, Pete?”

            Peter closed his eyes and kept his silence, knowing that he didn’t really have an argument that James wouldn’t shoot down immediately. “Is it because of Remus?”

            Just hearing the other man’s name was enough to bring the hatred rushing back like bile in his throat. Peter’s hands clenched on the wooden rail. “He’s a fucking monster, James.” The moment he said it, he wanted to take it back, to swallow the words again and forget he’d ever said it out loud. But in for a penny, in for a pound. More poison spewed out as he turned to face his soon to be former friend. His heart was aching, even as he couldn’t stop it.

            “How can you still have him close to you? You’ve seen what he can do, more than anyone else! All those years we were there with him during the full moon, and the only thing that stopped us from getting infected ourselves was our animagus forms. Merlin’s beard, James, how stupid were we? Everything could have gone spectacularly wrong. And now he has a kid. Goddamned spawn that could possibly take out a grown man with one swipe. One bad day, and it’s all over. Are you willing to bring that into your life? What about Lily? What about _your_ future kids? What if she…”

            His head snapped back with the force of the punch James aimed at his mouth. The flow of venom stopped abruptly and he stared, disbelieving at the man he’d once held in the highest esteem. James was breathing hard, his face red with anger and his eyes dark with hurt. “I don’t ever want to see your face again, and if I hear one word against Remus or Maggie again, I swear Peter, I won’t hesitate to ruin you. I’m sorry you’ve changed so much, or I’m sorry that I never saw the fuckwit you really were until now. I’m so bloody fucking angry right now that I can’t even put to words how I… how _fuck_!” James took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering whoosh. His hands clenched and unclenched, a droplet of blood dripping from where his knuckle had been cut by Peter’s teeth. “I’m leaving now, before I take another swing at you.”

            Once the door had slammed shut, rattling the pictures on the walls, Peter sank down onto the ground where he stood, a sob welling up at the mess he’d made of things.

*~*~*

            When James barged into his study, Remus immediately knew that something was terribly wrong. Maggie was coloring on the window seat overlooking the back garden, laying on her stomach with the fairy tale book and crayons scattered in front of her. They’d been having a quiet afternoon, just the two of them while Sirius was at work. Remus had been going over the lists of things he needed to start University in the fall. It was a few months out still, but he was determined to gather the necessary items he needed long in advance. Sirius had argued that he didn’t need to go forward with that plan, that he could stay home with Maggie and focus on writing on some of his projects for publishing and homeschooling. As wonderful as that idea was, Remus knew deep down that they needed a contingency plan just in case they needed to branch out of wizarding society and into the muggle world.

            His nostrils flared as his sensitive nose picked up the scent of blood and he stood up immediately. “What happened?”

            James was flushed and disheveled, hair askew and sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He looked at Remus silently for a long time, dark eyes taking in everything about him. It was long enough for him to shift uncomfortably in place and ask shortly, “What? Why are you-”

            Then he was being manhandled into a tight hug, James’s arms going around him in a way that managed to pin Remus’s arms to his sides and his head down against the shorter man’s shoulder. “What in the black blazes is going on here,” Remus tried again, struggling a bit against the sudden affection. His mate was known for sudden strange outbursts, but this was something completely different and Remus felt a fission of fear go through him. “Jamie? Prongs, are you all right? What happened? Is it Lily?”

            James shook his head and Remus disengaged one arm enough to stretch it around and pat awkwardly at James’s back. He realized he was shaking, fine tremors going through the sturdy frame. He hadn’t seen James this upset since they’d realized they were truly going into a war, when word had come back that a muggleborn girl from Ravenclaw and her entire family had been murdered. “It’s okay, Jamie. C’mon, let’s go sit and you can tell me what happened, yeah?”

            “It’s not all right, Moony. It’s not fucking all right, and I don’t think it ever will be.” Now the worry cracked into anxiety and Remus felt his heart start to race.

            “James, you’re starting to scare me here, mate. Is Lily all right? Your parents? Sirius? Oh, bloody Christ, is Sirius all right?” Panic ate at him at the thought, and he doubled his efforts to disentangle himself. He had to make sure…

            “No! No, Merlin, Remus, Sirius is fine! I’m sorry, no, everyone’s all right.” It was James’s turn to pull back and grip Remus’s arms. “Listen, I’m sorry, I just… Fuck. I just had a conversation with Peter.”

            Everything went still. Remus brought in a steadying breath and knew exactly how that conversation had gone. “I’m sorry, Jamie.”

            James laughed bitterly and his eyes filled, “No, Moony, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how bad it’s gotten. He said so many horrid things, about you… about Mags. I couldn’t let him do it. I popped him in the mouth and told him I never wanted to see him again.”

            Remus felt something inside crack and he closed his eyes against the pain he could see written across his best mate’s face. There was a volatile mix of emotions inside his own person as he processed that he’d been chosen over Peter. That James would cut someone as important as Peter out of his life forever to protect him. “They got to him, Moony, and they took advantage of the fear he’s carried.”

            “Do you think that fear is justified,” Remus couldn’t help but ask, readying himself to retreat.

            “Gods no! Get that shite right out of your head, Lupin.” The anger in James’s voice made Remus’s eyes snap back open. Face flushed with righteous fury, the usually cheery and sometimes thick man looked like he was about to break. “I won’t hear anyone say or stand against you or Sirius, and that includes you, so shut the fuck up.”

            Maggie made a small sound as she shifted on the window seat, the box of crayons shifting and falling to the floor with a loud clatter. The men looked over at her and she froze, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. She looked pale and tense, one tiny fist clenched around a blue crayon. “God, Mags… Hello, darling, I’m not mad at you,” James said, forcing a calm he really didn’t feel. _One bad day, and it’s all over. Are you willing to bring that into your life?_ He felt sick at the thought that anyone could feel that way about a child. About _Maggie_.

            He stepped around Remus and went to kneel down in front of the window seat, where Maggie was still frozen, caught up in the high emotions of the adults. She was still too young to put up shields, and far too young to understand the complexity of what she was picking up. All she knew was that Uncle Jamie was a mess of feelings, and some of it had to do with her.

            They stared at each other for a long moment, before Maggie dropped her crayon and scrambled to hug her godfather, going with that instinct that told her that’s what he needed. He fell back on his haunches and clutched her hard, crying softly into her hair.

*~*~*

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo very short! Sorry, but I ran out of time to get the second half of this chapter finished before having to head out for work. I still wanted to get it out today, so you'll have two quick updates instead of one big one ;) Thank you all for reading this and the awesome comments and kudos are keeping me motivated!

*~*~*

            Staring slightly up at his beloved, Sirius didn’t have anything in him to spare for anyone else. His entire body felt electric, the emotion thick and high in his chest, his hands hot and icy all at the same time as he clutched at Remus. Palm to palm, fingers to fingers, they stood on the steps of the sacred stone steps of the tiny chapel right outside of Godric’s Hollow. The lighting was soft and perfect, lanterns filling the space with golden light that shone off the gentle waves of Remus’s hair, turning it into a shining halo.

            James was just behind him, and it was so fitting that they were back to back on this, the next phase of their lives. His best friend, his brother in all but blood, and the woman that Sirius had tried to hate once upon a time before he realized that she was a beautiful friend in her own right. Professor McGonagall stood a couple steps higher, her hands resting on the ancient text that held the sacred words that would bind them together, a look of immense pride on her face and a shimmer tears in her eyes if you looked close enough.

            Their friends and family were all gathered, interspersed through the folding chairs set up in neat rows in no discernable order or flow. James and Lily’s families were grouped together as they felt the most comfortable, the parents of the bride teary at giving away their youngest daughter. Lily’s sister, Petunia, looked out of place and very uncomfortable sitting next to her own husband, who looked to be ready to spout off at the smallest hint of impropriety. A hissed and very serious warning from Lily’s mother, who Vernon actually feared, kept him from putting his foot in his mouth. Or _her_ foot in his arse, in this case.

            The Potters were all light and smiles, their own hands clasped tightly between them as they beamed with pride at both their sons standing with their chosen mates. Before the ceremony, Fleamont had taken Sirius aside and told him in no uncertain terms that he was proud of the man he’d become and proud to be his adopted father. In quieter tones, the elder Potter had told him, “Their loss is my gain, my son. I want you to look at this day and see all the faces of the ones that love you.”

            And James’s mother had clung to both of them and cried with happiness, one hand on the back of either of their heads, holding them close to her own. They stood there huddled together, three foreheads touching as Euphemia whispered blessings, the magic building to a blinding peak before settling over them in a shimmering haze that left no room for anything but warmth. Sirius had let go of any lingering hurt over his blood relations shunning him. The people who mattered were there.

            Remus’s parents were sitting across the aisle, with Maggie on her grandmum’s lap, staring in awe at the sights surrounding her. Her red-gold hair was charmed into an elaborate braid with tiny purple flowers woven into the thick mass that matched the pale lavender and green dress Lily and Hope had found within ten minutes of perusing the shops in London. They’d still taken the entire day, doing a bit more shopping, but mostly wandering the sights and just enjoying the company. The two women had become close in the time after, bonding over their mutual love for Maggie and the boys.

            Maggie had finally come around in trusting Lily, and the first time the little girl had allowed her godmother to hold her hand had been quietly noted as a gigantic milestone and celebrated with ice cream. Now, Maggie stared solemnly up at the four adults that made up her world and knew that something Very Important was about to happen. She hadn’t been tasked with anything, her fathers realizing that the day was going to be big enough as it was.

            The ceremony was going to be simple and elegant, and after deliberation, they’d all decided to forego bridesmaids and groomsmen. Maids of honor and best man duties were moot, especially on James and Sirius’s side, as they stood for each other. Remus had rolled his eyes when James couldn’t resist one last poke about ‘bridal duties’ and said that he and Lily could stand as maid of honor for each other too. He may or may not know anything about the randomly disappearing/reappearing cufflinks and suspenders. Or the temporary magical glue in the hair gel that put James into fits after his morning shower and his fingers had gotten stuck.

            Minerva cleared her throat gently and began, her words casting a spell over everyone gathered to witness. She spoke the opening lines over them all, the magic in the stones reacting and rising with the ceremony, making everyone, even the few muggles, shiver in their seats. Sirius and Remus shifted to stand hand in hand to witness as she spoke over James and Lily first.

            “James Fleamont Potter,” she paused until James tore his gaze away from Lily, “Do you have words for your bride?”

             James swallowed hard and had to search to find his voice. Lily squeezed his hands reassuringly and Minerva’s eyes danced at him even though she kept her expression schooled. The young man never had been fully capable of keeping his emotions under wraps, his heart always on his sleeve. It was endearing in most situations; his genuineness being a beacon drawing others in. And of course, he’d completely forgotten every single word he’d obsessed over for months.

             Lily’s eyes sparkled at him and a knowing smile ticked at the corner of her mouth. He swallowed again, and just started speaking. “Lily Evans, I have been under your spell since I was twelve years old. We grew together, learned together, and for so many years I was positive that you hated me. I admit that I was a bit overzealous in my bid for your affections, but I was terrified that you would forget me, that in the excitement of our studies and the hundreds of other students, you would overlook me and eventually fade away. I have loved you for so very long that I don’t remember another way.”

              Tears spilled down Lily’s cheeks and James let go of her hands to cup her face in his palms, stepping closer so that they were mere inches away. “My promise to you, Lily Marie Evans, is to always share that love with you. I will be your protector, your lover, your partner, your husband. I will be the father of your children, and the hand you hold when we are old and feeble. I will be there, my love, until death do us part.”

              Lily let out a small half-sob, half-laugh. At least he remembered the very last part of what he’d rehearsed. Then Minvera was turning toward her and it was her turn to speak. She did remember the vows she’d rehearsed, but deliberately discarded them and spoke from her heart as well.

              “I don’t think I could ever have forgotten you. There were times where I tried, Merlin knows. I knew in third year that eventually you would wear me down,” there were titters of laughter through the guests and her voice went from teasing to gentle and solemn. “I knew that I loved you, irrevocably and unavoidably when we were stuck on the astronomy tower when we were sixteen and I had been hexed senseless by someone who will remain nameless. I was out of my mind, and I tried to make a move on you. I was offering you everything you’d ever wanted, but you stepped away. You held me as I cried, certain that I’d done something wrong. Do you remember that night, my love?”

              James nodded, and brought her hands up to his lips. “Do you remember what you said to me?” He nodded again, and Lily’s voice wavered as she repeated, “’There’s nothing I’d love more than to snog you until dawn, Evans, but I won’t let my future wife be taken advantage of.’”

            She took a moment to steady herself, then said, “My promise to you, James Fleamont Potter, is to always share that love with you. I will be your protector, your lover, your partner, your wife. I will be the voice of reason, the mother to your children, and the hand you hold when we are old and feeble. I will be there, love, until death do us part.”

            Minerva spoke the words of binding, waving her wand in an elaborate formation over their heads, and the silver bands they had elected to have magically entwined around their fingers appeared. “As we have all witnessed, this union is sanctified and whole. In keeping with traditions older than time, James, you may now kiss your bride.”

            A great cheer went up through the gathered guests, Sirius whooping the loudest as James picked Lily up and kissed her as if they would never have another chance at it. When the noise died down, everyone turned their attention to the two men on the other side of the altar. James lunged in for one last quick embrace, pulling Sirius and Remus both into his arms as he was overwhelmed by the joy of the moment. Then he settled back, an arm around Lily’s waist as they stood their turn as witness.

            Minerva bestowed a full, glowing grin at the boys standing before her and Remus realized that he had never seen their Deputy Headmistress in such a light. It had been a good choice to ask her to officiate. “Sirius Orion Black, do you have words for your partner?”

            Because James and Lily had already foregone protocol and he really liked the idea of just speaking what came to him, Sirius discarded the careful words he’d painstakingly learned for the occasion. “I have never been as whole as I am with you, Remus. You are my touchstone when things are unbearable, my grumpy light in the dim, my reason for fighting. I have loved you with all that I am for longer than I care to say. My promise to you, Remus John Lupin, is to always share that love with you. I will stand between you and those that would move against you, and I will protect you with every ounce of breath that is in me. I promise to be your partner, your lover, your husband, the father to your children, and the hand you hold when we are old and feeble. I will be there, love, until death do us part.”

            Remus blinked back tears as he watched Sirius speak, the words coming in a stream of intense, heated emotion. Dark eyes never strayed from shining amber, and their trembling hands were linked between them, serving as an anchor. It took him a moment for him to be sure of his voice. It was hoarse, but rang out across the stones as he spoke directly from his soul. “My bright star, you take the fear from my nights, the monster from my scars, and the rage from my chest. You make me smile when I want to cry, and you give me hope when there is none. My love is deep and it is fierce, and it is my promise to you, Sirius Orion Black, to always share that love. I will be your protector, your lover, your husband, the father to your children, and the hand you hold when we are old and barren. I will be there, my heart, until death do us part.”

            Minerva wove the spell once again, and the silver bands entwined around their wrists, manifesting as Celtic knots and vines as the less popular sign of magical bonding. “As we have all witnessed, this union is sanctified and whole. In keeping with traditions older than time, Sirius, you may now kiss your husband.”

            The whoops seemed louder and echoed longer as Sirius surged forward to take Remus’s face in his hands, devouring his mouth hungrily. Remus clutched at his waist, feeling as if his entire being was lit up, the fire licking just under his skin. When they broke apart, he couldn’t bring himself to let go just yet and so they stayed close, Sirius bringing their foreheads together as they just breathed each other in for a moment. “I love you,” he whispered unsteadily. “Gods above and below, Sirius, I love you.”

            Sirius laughed and took his lips again, angling his head just right to get the most of it. When he pulled away again, he answered, “I love you, Remus Lupin-Black. I love you.”

            They were distracted from each other by James announcing the reception schedule. “My dear friends and family, some of you will be staying behind for another, no less important event, you know who you are. The rest of you sods may adjourn to the reception area where there is a full bar with our lovely Rosemerta as tender. Please tip her well, as the spirits are free and she’s a lovely gal looking to own her own Hogsmeade dive. We’ll be joining you within the next couple hours, so don’t get too sloshed.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Toxic levels of fluff and some sexing in this chapter! ;) I finally made myself settle in and do some writing, and this was the result. Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story and supporting me with kudos and comments :D It really does help keep me at it.

*~*~*

            Maggie stood between her fathers, who were on their knees on the stones next to her, each holding a hand. Everything was warm and soft, the air thick with magic and love. The woman who had spoken the words over her Da and Papa was kneeling in front of them too, all of them keeping to her level. The huge book was floating next to them, the open spine nearly touching the ground and the words they needed to say shining in gold letters. Grandparents were behind them, two sets of people she knew were important. As long as Grandmum Hope was there, Maggie was all right with it.

            Aunt Lily was beside Da, looking excited and teary-eyed as she clasped her hands over her knees. The lantern light fell over her hair and brought out the gold in her skin. Maggie no longer saw her mum when she saw her, it was just Aunt Lily, with the pretty laugh and sweet singing voice. Her mum hadn’t ever sang to her, but Lily did, all the time, even when there were others around and it wasn’t quiet time. Da liked to sing with her, and they would draw Maggie out to dance with them when the air was still.

            Uncle Jamie was beside Papa, looking excited and so happy, nearly vibrating with joy. He was always happy and wanted to play games with her and her fathers. He would chase her and Papa around the back garden, and being outside wasn’t scary anymore. She knew that nothing bad would ever happen to her with Uncle Jamie, that he would fight anyone who tried to hurt her; she’d seen it when he’d come home so upset. He’d hit someone, a bad man that used to be a friend, because he said awful things about her Da.

            “Sirius Orion Black, do you accept this child, Magdalena Ann Lupin, into your bloodline, from this day forward?” Minerva spoke reverently, her voice tender as she watched the three of them.

            Sirius squeezed her hand and said clearly, “Yes, I do.”

            “Do you accept responsibility for her welfare as a father, however necessary, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental?”

            “I do, with great honor and love.”

            The magic that swelled around them was heavy, and Maggie felt like she was drowning in it. Remus took both of her hands and turned her to face him, taking in her wide eyes. “It’s all right, Maggie,” he told her soothingly. “I know this is big and confusing, but this is good. I have a question for you, my little love. Do you want to have Sirius as your blood father? That would mean that he would take the place of your mum, that you would be his and mine for always.”

            They had debated on asking her this question, due to her age and the lingering fear she still had for the woman that had been her keeper for the first years of her life. In the end, they both had decided it was important for them to include her in the process. Maggie looked back at Sirius, who smiled and ran his hand over her braided hair. She wasn’t quite sure of anything except that she didn’t want her mummy back, and that she didn’t want her papa to ever go away. She nodded and closed her eyes as the warmth swelled into a tingling that seemed to take over everything.

            “I need three drops of blood from each of you,” Minerva said gently, and held her wand out over the hand Sirius stretched out on top of the ornate cauldron situated between them. It was a painless process, the charm one used for collecting blood samples and provided by Madame Pomfrey when they’d expressed concern over causing Maggie pain.

            Remus guided Maggie’s hand toward the cauldron and pressed his face to her temple as Minerva gently repeated the charm. As the blood drops fell into the ready-made potion and mixed with Sirius’s, the color turned a vibrant green and gave off a puff of smoke. Silently, they watched as the elder witch transferred the contents to a gold and silver goblet, then banished the cauldron. She offered it to Sirius first, fixing him with an intent stare and holding it for a very long moment.

            “This is a commitment, Sirius, and not one easily undone. This child will be part of your responsibility, through good and bad, life and death. Her tears will be yours, her heartbreak yours, her trials yours. But the beauty of seeing her grow will also be yours, as will her triumphs, her joys, and her journey into adulthood. Are you doing this for the right reasons?”

            There was no hesitation. Sirius brought the chalice to his lips and drank. Nodding in satisfaction, Minerva turned to the child, who looked so small in the circle of her father’s arms. Solemn eyes the color of autumn leaves stared back at her and she softened. “Magdalena, drink this, my dear, and accept your new guardian.” Maggie wrinkled her nose at the slightly pungent smell, but was surprised when the taste was something like apples.

            “As the spell is cast, so mote it be.”

*~*~*

            The reception party was just getting started by the time they rejoined their friends and family. Sirius was carrying Maggie, still swimming with the force of the newly formed magical bond. One hand was clasped firmly in Remus’s as they cut through the crowd, feeling a bit disconnected and unsteady. It was as if everyone else was coming at him through a haze, his only anchor the man at his side and the child curled up around his hip.

            Hope came out of nowhere and eased Maggie from his arms, and for a moment Sirius thought about fighting her, the instinct to keep the child close manifesting physically. “Go with Remus, dear,” she told him knowingly, and kissed his cheek. “I have Maggie, and she’ll be safe.”

            Wanting to protest, but being gently guided away, Sirius let himself be carried off through the crowd and out into the cool night air. He was silent as Remus took him through the courtyard and out into the softly rolling hillside and the copse of trees bordering the property. When the sounds of music and laughter had faded out to a faint din, he found himself pressed into the rough bark of a tree.

            His new husband was kissing him then, their newly formed bond flaring almost painfully as mouths came together. He whined at the back of his throat when there was a sharp nip just under his ear, then lips closed over his earlobe and he shuddered with need. All of his being snapped into their connection, and the feel of solid flesh and bone pressed against him. Dress robes were unfastened and shoved off shoulders, nimble fingers working down the mother of pearl buttons of his shirt, then that hot, greedy mouth was on the skin of his chest. A tongue flicked over a nipple and Sirius gasped, one hand clutching at Remus’s shoulder, and the other fisting in his carefully styled hair. He felt more than heard the needy growl that escaped Remus’s throat at the tug, then he was on the ground, idly noting that someone had laid out a blanket, and it was soft against the bare skin of his back.

            “You are so beautiful,” Remus murmured as he was drawn down, Sirius gripping the rich fabric of his dress robes to pull him in.

            “Off,” he grunted, jerking at the fastenings at Remus’s throat, wanting skin to skin contact. It was all he could think about, all higher brain function honed to this one thing; getting his mate naked and against him as quickly as possible. Remus had remembered his wand and with an absent swish, the clothing problem was taken care of. “Remus, _fuck_!” That seemed to be the extent of his vocabulary as the sensations rocked through him.  

            In a near desperate move, he flipped them so that his taller mate was on his back under him, Sirius’s hips between Remus’s legs. Their erections were flush together, and Sirius grit his teeth from the sheer lust that took root under his skin. “God, Remus,” he grunted when the werewolf surged up under him, hips undulating to get the friction started. “Fuck, I love you, Moony. I want you so badly it hurts.”

            “Then take me, Padfoot.” The gravel in Remus’s voice was enough to spur him into action, and Sirius wrapped his hand around their cocks, starting the rhythm, even as Remus’s hands and wondrous mouth started wandering, scraping, pulling, and biting. When Sirius lost himself and faltered, Remus clasped his own large hand over his, squeezed their fingers together, and ground his body up. It was embarrassing how easy he came apart under the werewolf’s onslaught. His spare hand snaked up to wrap around the back of Remus’s neck, fingers biting in as they rut against each other. He buried his face in the crook of where shoulder met neck and breathed in the scent of forest and fur, mouth opening to suck the taut skin inside.

            Hips stuttered and Remus whimpered, “Gods, Sirius, my love. My husband. Come with me, please. Please.”

            At the reverent plea, Sirius felt his entire body tense and his fingernails dug into firm muscles, raking down the curve of spine as he fell into his orgasm. Remus arched his back and spilled between them with a low cry that ended with a sob. For a couple minutes, all they could do was lie there and try to remember how to breathe.

            “Feel better, Padfoot,” Remus whispered against his ear, and Sirius shuddered. He couldn’t quite form words, but nodded, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the side of his love’s temple. He was more grounded, more real and in the moment. They’d been warned that there would be side effects of doing so much all at once, between the marriage bond and the blood adoption, Sirius hadn’t grounded completely. He never would have made it through even a few minutes of the reception, and Remus hadn’t fared much better. With the inner wolf, who knows what might have transpired.

            “I think I can actually walk with you through the crowd and not want to rip someone’s hand off for touching you now,” Remus admitted, and Sirius laughed, knowing that his new husband wasn’t joking. They were two and a half weeks away from the full moon, so this had been the safest time they could manage. Sirius sent up a silent thank you for James and Lily carefully choosing a day that wouldn’t interfere with one of their best friends attending their wedding. He was nearly overcome with love as he and Remus helped each other back into their clothing, uttering cleaning charms and pressing lingering kisses over disappearing flesh as they went.

            Pausing once they were as decent as they cared to be, most everyone would know where they’d gone and why, Remus cupped a hand under Sirius’s chin and looked at him with those glowing eyes, “You all right, love?”

            “I’m perfect.” His voice was a bit tremulous, and Remus softened, pressing yet another kiss to his lips, letting it linger. When they pulled back, he whispered, “When I was ten, I never thought I would make these kinds of connections, Moony. I never thought that I would have people in my life that loved me. Not just without strings, but period. I never thought that I could love so deep, so irrevocably, so passionately. I didn’t think I had it in me, that I was too much my parents’ son, that they had beaten it out of me. But they hadn’t, and I do.”

            Remus drew him in, wrapping his arms around him just to hold him tight. After a long, silent moment, Sirius pulled away with a kiss to the underside of Remus’s chin. “Let’s get back before they send out search parties. I think James and Lily were wanting us to share in the cake cutting.”

            “Of course they do.” But Remus pulled him back, cupping hands over the curve of his butt, bringing their hips together. “After the cake and we take our turns on the dance floor, Mr. Lupin-Black, I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and take you away. Then I’m going to do very bad things to you until we’re both spent and aching.”

            With a wicked grin, Sirius snaked a hand between them and cupped Remus’s already hardening length. “I’m going to let you, Mr. Lupin-Black, and when we resurface, I’m going to get us started all over again.” 

*~*~*

            By the time they made it back to the party, it was just heating up and most of their friends and loved ones were deep into the free bar. The dance floor was full of laughing people having a grand time. The minute James caught sight of them creeping back in, Sirius hoping for time to pick up a firewhiskey before diving into more of the traditions, he gave a whoop, setting off a series of catcalls. Immediately giving up on the idea of alcoholic fortification for the moment, he laughed and twirled a furiously blushing Remus around and into a fancy swing step they’d actually practiced just for this intent. It wasn’t exactly the timing Remus had been expecting, and he stumbled a bit before letting his natural grace take over.

            By the time they made it to the middle of the floor, Sirius swirled Remus toward Lily, while he took James’s hand, the two couples taking over the suddenly cleared circle. The music changed, the musicians taking the hint and going with a popular muggle swing number that most of their guests probably had never heard of, but enjoyed all the same.

            This was something Sirius hadn’t planned with James, wanting to surprise his old friend and knowing that the other man had taken just as many forced dance lessons as he had and could go with it. Lily, he knew, loved to dance and as much as he had protested, Remus was right there with her. Sirius had gotten the idea watching the two of them dancing with Maggie in the garden.

            Coordinating with eyes and a head jerk, Sirius whirled James around with a push and a slap to his ass while Remus slid Lily under his legs and up, into James’s arms, where the two didn’t lose a beat, sidestepping as the music morphed into a waltz. Remus stood for a moment, locking eyes with Sirius as the black haired boy he adored stared right back at him. Dramatically, Sirius bowed low and held out a hand for his new husband. Remus came forward and drew the hand up to his lips, kissing his knuckles before drawing him in for their waltz.

            They whirled around the floor, passing James and Lily, who were both flushed and looking achingly happy. James was whispering in Lily’s ear, and she pulled back with dancing green eyes and a laugh on her lips. “I love you, Moony,” Sirius whispered in Remus’s ear, drawing his attention again as the hand on his shoulder traveled to the back of his neck, fingers playing with the soft tendrils. Amber eyes went half-lidded with contentment and the fascinating curve of Remus’s lower lip came ever closer until it was pressed against his own.

            When they resurfaced, it was to more cheers and charmed confetti and ribbons falling around them. Alice, Frank, and the Prewitt twins were lowering their wands with matching expressions of glee, Alice jumping up and down with excitement. Looking around, Remus found his mum with Maggie, the two of them dancing with his father. He nudged Sirius and gestured for him to look and couldn’t help the sappy smile.

            Lyall had one arm around Hope and both of them had an arm around Maggie, who looked happy between her grandparents as they whirled around in a small space of the dance floor, Molly and Arthur’s children dancing with Andromeda’s spawn around them. There were other kids that Sirius didn’t recognize, but they were all having a grand time, which was important.

            “I do believe it’s time for a father-daughter dance,” James’s voice came over the crowd when there was a lull in the music. He was standing near where the musicians were set up, and Lily stood to the side with her father. Remus had to shake his head. For someone as flighty as James could manage through most of his life, when he got his mind set on things, it was near impossible to get him off schedule.

            As discussed, Sirius and Remus went to gather Maggie, Hope setting the girl on the floor so they could kneel down in front of her to ask. Blushing and shy with all the attention on them, Maggie took their hands and let them lead her out. When the music started, Remus picked her up and linked arms with Sirius so they were both supporting her between them. After a few turns, James’s voice came over the crowd again, “Okay, I want all of you fathers and daughters, mothers and sons to get out here! Come on! Everyone!” He gathered up his own mother and twirled her around, dipping her low, much to her delight.

            In a bit of kindness, James’s father asked Petunia to dance, seeing the sour look on the young woman’s face as she and her husband stood awkwardly to the side. She turned her nose up and refused, looking as if she’d smelled something horrible. Much like his son, Fleamont wasn’t phased, instead turning to Molly with a charming bow and a purred, “And you, m’lady? Would you care for a turn about?”

            Flashing Petunia a furious glare, Molly accepted with a flourish to match his. She’d witnessed the entire exchange and wouldn’t be forgetting it any time soon. “Of course I would, Mr. Potter. Let’s show these degenerates how to do it, yeah?”

            With a delighted laugh that rang out across the crowd, Fleamont escorted her out onto the floor.

            After another hour of dancing, Lily called for the single women to catch the bridal bouquet and Remus absolutely refused to have any part of it. This was all for the second couple, James be damned. When Marlene McKinnon caught the spray of roses and lilies, she shook it in the air with a happy war-cry. Molly’s brother, Gideon looked a little like he was going to be ill, while his twin, Fabian snickered and elbowed him in the side.

            In retaliation for not participating, James ‘accidentally’ shot Remus in the side of the head with Lily’s garter, where it fell down to hang on his shoulder. Not amused, Remus was sorely tempted to charm it to his friend’s forehead and leave it there. Before he could, Sirius flung the offending garment into the pool of hooting bachelors, watching them scramble light-heartedly after it.

            “You can get him back later, love,” he snickered, and tried to distract Remus from thoughts of mayhem, just for the night. “I’ll help and it’ll be brilliant.”

            “It had better be,” Remus grumbled, but allowed Sirius to gather his attention to the cool fingers slipping underneath the back of his shirt, playing with the flesh just below the waistband of his trousers. In the aftermath of their romp in the trees, both of them had discarded the outer dress robes for plain trousers, white shirts, and stylish suspenders. James had followed their lead, declaring that if they could do it, so could he.

            The only hitch in the night came when they were lining up for the cake and champagne toasts. There was a lull between the four of them when it came to the time where Peter was supposed to make his toast to the happy couple. James looked a sullen cross between anger and hurt, but shook it off when Frank Longbottom stepped forward instead, holding out his glass.

            “I know this isn’t my turn, but I’m going to take it anyway,” their friend said with a goofy, half-sloshed smile. His expression sobered and looked at the two couples, “You four have been a long time coming. We’ve all watched you dance around and pretend that you weren’t completely mental. Except James. You, mate, have never denied your bedlam-inspired bid for our Lily’s affections.” Chuckles erupted through the remaining crowd, and James raised his glass in salute, a shit-eating grin on his face as he held Lily close to his side.

            “The rest of you, though… But I have to say, the loyalty between you four has never been in question.” Frank looked at Remus and Sirius, who stood with their arms around each other’s waists. “I remember in sixth year and you two weren’t speaking for what felt like forever. I swear the very walls nearly iced over. That was the coldest winter I can remember ever braving at Hogwarts, and I wasn’t even in the same house. Then by some miracle, you fixed it and we could all finally move the fu… I mean… move on.” He rolled his eyes, “I have no bloody idea what I’m rambling about, as I hadn’t planned on this.”

            Alice grinned and drew his head down so that she could whisper in his ear. He raised back up, smirking. “Ah, yes… Thank you, Mrs. Longbottom. May you four be happy, healthy, and as sickeningly in love as you are now for many, many years. May you have a squadron of children to run amock with ours to take over Hogwarts, and may you always find your way back to each other if circumstances are not favorable. Cheers!”

*~*~*

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it's not obvious, I have no clue how wedding reception etiquette is supposed to play out. :) Again, yay for fanfiction!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, short, short!!! But I'll make up for it on the next chapter, I promise ;) I wanted to add more, but I'm about to collapse into my bed and I didn't want to edit more. (excuses :) ) Love you guys, btw!

 

*~*~*

            Maggie was asleep by the time her grandparents said their goodbyes and flooed off with her. Sirius kissed Hope’s cheek and murmured sincere thank you, and it was understood between them that he was speaking of far more than just her and Lyall taking Maggie for the week. She smiled that soft smile of hers and squeezed his hand briefly. “I am so glad you are a part of our family now, Sirius. I’m just sad that it took this long for my son to open his eyes.”

            Sirius laughed and kissed her again, rolling his eyes, “I’m just as much at fault as Remus, Mrs. Lupin. We were both a bit on the dense side, I’m afraid.”

            “Call me Hope,” she instructed him, “Or Mum. I’m not picky. We’ll see you two in a week, and I expect you to keep us posted of your antics.”

            “Outside of the hotel, I feel the need to add,” Lyall interjected dryly, but he was smiling as he joined them with Remus right behind him. At his father’s words, his face flamed as he choked on the words he’d been ready to say. The elder Lupin clapped his son on the back and winked at Sirius. “No need for details on that point.”

            “Da-” Remus looked as if he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. “Merlin’s Beard, you didn’t have to-”

            Lyall laughed and gave his son a one- armed hug. “I know, but I wanted to. You two have a brilliant time and come home safely. Shall we, my love?”

            Hope nodded and leaned in to kiss her son’s cheek. “I love you, Remus. Take care of your husband and make sure he stays out of trouble. I would rather not have to post bail on either of you.”

            “Both of you are a riot tonight,” Remus grumbled, but he was smiling as he bussed a kiss on Maggie’s forehead. She was sound asleep on his father’s shoulder, having crawled in his lap almost an hour ago when she’d tired of running around with the other children. “Thank you, and I love you both.”

            When they were gone, Sirius leaned against Remus, letting out a sigh. Wrapping an arm around him, Remus asked, “Are you all right, Pads?”

            “You have lovely parents, Rem. Your mum told me I could call her mum.” He was unusually quiet, resting his head against Remus’s shoulder with another sigh. “She barely knows me, and yet I’m her son now. Not just a son-in-law, but _son_. Just like that.”

            “She’s always liked you,” Remus told him, but understood what his mate was saying. He ran a hand down Sirius’s back gently. “You and James were the only ones I was allowed to have at the house growing up. Even if Peter… Even if he’d wanted to come stay, my mum wouldn’t have been happy. As it was, I had to beg for hours to have James over. You, however, all I had to do was mention your name and she was all smiles, planning meals and so far overboard on activities that I had to argue for her to stop and just leave us be.”

            “I didn’t know that,” Sirius laughed, his own cheeks heating up as that now familiar feeling welled up in his chest again. Not even the mention of Peter was enough to dim his light tonight. Decisively, he shoved away all thoughts of the other man, not allowing himself to be put off by the recent events. He had Remus, and he had James.

            “Are you ready to go?”

            “Does Dumbledore like lemon drops?”

            “Ah! No mentioning professors when we’re about to leave on our honeymoon,” Remus admonished, mock-horrified. He was placated when Sirius reached up and gripped the back of his neck, jerking him down for a fierce kiss that stole his breath away. It escalated quickly, hands going to inappropriate places, squeezing tight enough to bring out a growled gasp.

            “Do we need to make our excuses? Or can we just disappear,” Remus mused, speaking against Sirius’s lips. “I can’t imagine James and Lily are too far behind us in wanting to leave all this behind.”

            “You would be right, my Mr. Moony,” James chirped from behind them. “Me and the Mrs. are about to make our grand exit, so you’re safe.”

            “Right then,” Sirius smirked over Remus’s shoulder. His best friend was decidedly disheveled, bowtie undone and part of his shirt untucked from his pants. His hair was even more of a mess than normal, and his lips were red and swollen. Lily wasn’t in much better state behind him, the green shift she’d changed into for the reception party was hanging just slightly off, and a quick glance toward her legs showed them bare of hose and shoes. Her red hair was partly undone from its careful tucks, having lost a good number of the pins keeping it in place. Spots of bright color were high in her cheeks and Sirius wondered if he and Remus looked any better from their vantage point.

            “So, meeting up at our arranged spot in a week?” James asked Sirius with a blinding smile. The two of them had kept their honeymoon destinations secret from their respective spouses at the last minute, much to their grumbled dismay. It wasn’t in their natures to trust either man with packing the necessary items for climate and whatnot. After Sirius had admitted they weren’t going to leave Maggie out of the second part of their trip, James had extended his and Lily’s travels so they could meet up and spend the last half together. The state of their world was just getting worse, James had pointed out in a rare moment of solemn contemplation. It only made sense to take the time while they could and rack up some good memories to hold them over.

            “Yes.” Sirius released Remus long enough to embrace his friend heartily. “You two crazy kids have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do twice, yeah?”

            “That doesn’t leave much,” Lily grumbled as she took her turn getting a hug, handing Remus to her husband as they exchanged friends. “But I’ll make sure James doesn’t get arrested for indecent exposure.”

            “I’ll do the same for Sirius,” Remus laughed. “Though depending on the clime of where we’re going, he may have to keep watch over me instead.”

            Minutes later, they were standing in two separate groups, holding onto the portkeys to take them to their different destinations. Shouted good-byes and a flash and they were gone.

*~*~*

            “When you said you were going to surprise me, this was actually far from what I’d imagined,” Remus murmured against the side of Sirius’s neck as they lay entwined in the deep stone tub on the back veranda of the remote mountain cabin, hot water encasing them as they stared out over the snow covered landscape. “I’d been sure that we would be on a sunny beach somewhere.”

            He could feel the rumble of Sirius’s laugh against his chest and shifted as the sensation seemed to rocket south, despite the fact that they’d been going at it like rabbits since they’d stepped inside their home away from home. “What kind of husband would I be if I brought us somewhere that I knew for a fact my love would hate?”

            “I love you,” Remus whispered, running his hands over his partner’s well-defined chest. “I love you more every moment, if that’s at all possible.”

            “It’s possible,” Sirius said, turning smoothly in his arms so that he was straddling his hips. “It’s very possible, Moony, ‘cause I find myself doing the same.”

            Biting his lip to try and stop the groan, Remus gripped Sirius’s hips tightly, fingers falling into the bruised patterns they hadn’t healed from their last romp. Before the week was out, he was positive that it would be a miracle if either of them were walking straight. “Are you sure you don’t want to take a while?” His voice was hoarse with need as Sirius ground himself down, their erections slotting together in perfect alignment. “We could go inside…”

            Sirius shook his head and with a now familiar murmur, gripped him firmly while lifting himself up and over. They both froze, eyelashes fluttering as they adjusted, Sirius taking him in down to the root. “ _Merlin,_ Sirius, you’re going to be the en-end of me.” Another, somewhat breathless laugh, then he was starting the rhythm again, thanking whoever taught him the lubrication charm. Higher thought process ceased and then it was just him and Moony, their bodies already in tune with each other, and the water sloshing over the side. Remus watched through heavy-lidded eyes as Sirius arched his spine, head falling back on his shoulders, and he figured that he had never seen anything as beautiful and erotic before in his life.   

            All of a sudden, he desperately didn’t want this to end; this time between them, just the two of them, so in sync with each other it was a form of magic all its own. He didn’t want to face the brewing war, or the inevitable betrayal of a friend, or even the excitement of starting muggle university in a couple months. He didn’t want to send Sirius off to working in the ministry with people that still saw him as a blood traitor, and he didn’t want to face the looks on people’s faces when they realize that _he_ was the one that Sirius Black had thrown his life away for.

            He didn’t want to face it, and right now, right here, he didn’t have to. He kept his eyes open and on that pale expanse of skin flushed with passion and heat, and didn’t think of anything except the moment and taking every bit of pleasure offered and returning it with interest.

*~*~*

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of angst to toss in there like a good author does sometimes ;) This chapter deals with anxiety/panic attacks, so beware. Thank you guys so much for all the comments and kudos! So much love! And as a last little note, I ran out of editing time, but I wanted to get this out there. Any kind of errors, please overlook and know I'll be back in to change soon :)

*~*~*

            “We are not having a drinking game!” Lily called out as she skipped down the steps of the villa James and Sirius had rented for the second half of their honeymoons. Sirius, Remus, and Maggie had the upstairs, while she and James had the downstairs, meeting in the middle to share the kitchen. More often than not, all of them had gathered together in the lower levels near the swimming pool and outside area. “I want to hit up the museums tomorrow, and I can’t do that hungover. And we don’t want to overdo the hangover potions, Sirius! Taking too many of those has its side effects too, you prat.”

            “You, darling, have lost your fun,” Sirius pouted, following Remus as he rounded the steps to join Lily in the front garden. “At least pick up a bottle of that red we had the first night, yeah? We can have a bit with dinner.”

            “Which it’s my turn to cook,” Remus smiled, and kissed the pout right off his husband’s mouth. “So we’re having something that doesn’t require cooking, since I’m sure the deposit you laid down on this place isn’t enough to cover a fire. I’ll pick up something appropriate.”

            “Fine,” Sirius sighed, then stepped aside with a laugh when Maggie raced out, having finally found her shoes so she could go with her Da and Aunt Lily into the village. She was still far too quiet, but now it seemed a different sort of quiet as she’d settled into trusting the adults around her.

            “Wait! Mags, aren’t you forgetting something?” Sirius called playfully, grinning when the tot stopped in the middle of the stairs and looked at him questioningly. He tapped his cheek and leaned down, and her answering grin nearly took his breath away. She darted back up and kissed his cheek quickly before racing back down to grab her Da’s hand.

            He leaned against the doorframe and watched the three of them walk down the path, sighing at how utterly perfect his life was. He felt James side up beside him and turned to smile at him. “We’re some lucky arseholes, aren’t we, mate?”

            “Yes, Padfoot, we are,” James grinned, but it was a bit strained and Sirius felt unease trickle in.

            “What is it?” Not one for mincing words, even when he really didn’t want to know, Sirius eyed his messy-haired friend. James pushed his glasses further up on his nose and jerked his chin toward the back of the house. Feeling a bit like the rug was about to be pulled out from under him, Sirius followed and tried to remind himself that James had a penchant for dramatics, it may not be anything…

            “Lily’s pregnant.”

Important. He sat down on the nearest bar stool near the kitchen island, gripping the side as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. Open-mouthed, he stared at James in shock.

            Letting out a bark of laughter, James shook his head, leaning against the massive table off to the side. “You’re telling me, mate. I’ve known for a couple days, and I still can’t wrap my head around it. We’re bringing a baby into this shitty world! The entire idea scares the everlovin’ piss out of me.”

            “Maybe Remus has the right idea and we should branch out into the muggle world,” Sirius said, eyes wide. “It was bad enough with Mags, but thinking of a baby Prongs, we can’t let him grow up in the middle of this… while we have a madman killing people left and right. We need to protect Lily, to keep her safe.”

            “I’ve thought of that,” James sighed, crossing his arms. “But what happens if we let this slide and it spills over into the muggle world, Sirius? This piece of shite isn’t something that is going to go away. If we leave, we could be letting our friends and family die. Can you live with that?”

            It was on the tip of his tongue to tell him that yes, he could leave everyone else behind as long as Remus, Maggie, James, Lily, and now the new baby would be safe. He could walk away without blinking an eye. But he knew that the others couldn’t. Even Remus, who had brought up the idea in the first place, wouldn’t be able to… not without being pushed beyond reasoning. Eventually, he shook his head and rubbed at his eyes.

            “No, I don’t think I could. What are we going to do?”

            James blinked, then in true fashion shrugged and his smile brightened just a bit. “We have a baby, and we protect them to the best of our ability. And we take down the Dark Lord as quickly as possible. We have to do what we can to take them all out without drawing attention to ourselves in the process.”

            “Moony and I were speaking of the same things,” Sirius said quietly, not quite able to bring up a smile to go with the grim conversation. “Before the wedding, and after Peter defected. We both turned down his second hand veiled invitation after graduation, and that put us on his list, as well as Remus and Lily by default. They’d been on it anyway because of their origins.”

            “Muggleborn and werewolf,” James muttered darkly. He moved toward the cleverly hidden cabinet in the hallway between the dining room and the kitchen and pulled out a nicely colored bottle of what looked like brandy. He fished out a couple tumblers and poured a couple fingers in each. He locked eyes with Sirius. “I don’t want that life for them, Padfoot. I don’t want that life for _us_. Things are just getting started, and they’re getting worse every fucking day. We need a plan.”

            Sirius took the glass offered and lifted it, staring into the dark liquid. He thought of Maggie and her uncanny sensitivity, the way she seemed to _know_ things that a little girl shouldn’t. It was easy to bring her tiny face into his mind’s eye, to see the smile that got easier with each passing day. He thought of the baby that Lily just now carried, that life so fragile and simple, barely even a spark. No, he didn’t want that kind of life for them either. He nodded. “We’ll work one out, Prongs. We’ve got two of the cleverest on our side to help us figure it out, yeah?”

*~*~*

            “When are you going to tell me that you’re pregnant?” Remus enjoyed the hell out of the shocked look that Lily shot him as her hands fumbled the citrus she’d been attempting to bag. Green eyes wide, mouth dropping open, she stared at him. He laughed and bent to pick up the oranges that had rolled across the wooden floor of the small market.

            “How? Oh, my God, Remus!” Lily’s face flamed as he tapped the side of his nose with a smirk.

            “It took me a bit to put it together,” he admitted, playfully tapping at Maggie’s nose as he pushed the cart along toward the lettuce and spinach. His eyes shone teasingly over at her. “There’s a sweetness to your scent that wasn’t there before. Add that to the odd way James has been acting the last couple days and I put it together.”

            Lily shook her head in astonishment and tossed the bag of fruit into the back of the cart. “He could just be a overzealous new husband that can’t keep his hands off his wife.”

            Remus gave her a look, “Sirius is a new husband that can’t keep his hands off his new spouse, and you don’t see him rushing in to ease me down into a chair and fetching pillows.”

            “No,” Lily conceded, but returned his smirk with one of her own, “You’re the one fetching pillows for your spouse, Mr. Lupin-Black.”

            It was Remus’s turn to flush. “That was one day, and we’d-” he stopped, looking down at Maggie, who was sitting in the front of the cart, swinging her legs back and forth. “We’d best not be going into particulars of that rather interesting set of circumstances.”

            Lily’s laugh rang out through the store, making some of the other shoppers turn to look at them and smile. “Fair enough.” She grabbed a handful of broccoli and stuffed it into a bag. “I think James is spilling it to Sirius as we speak, so I probably would have said something when we got home. I kind of wanted to sit on it a bit longer. It doesn’t seem real, Remus. Not yet.”

            “I get that,” he said. “It took a while for me to get used to the idea of having a child, and I had the finished product. It would have been even more surreal knowing that she existed without physically seeing her.”

            They moved onto the bakery and after a cursory glance decided to skip buying bread here and go to the actual bakery down the street. After getting through checkout and during the walk between businesses, Lily confessed, “I’m rather terrified, to be honest. With the war… We’re targets, Rem. The Death Eaters have put a mark on us all; you and me because of our blood status, James and Sirius because they refuse to join ranks.”

            Remus was quiet as he watched the people bustling around them on the quaint cobblestone streets. It was hard to wrap his mind back around the fact that they faced a growing darkness, that this time was just a brief pause before going right back into it. He felt the familiar hitch in his chest as the anxiety grew at the thought that in three short days this idyllic little village would be a beautiful memory. His friends would go about their lives and he and Sirius would go about theirs, and all of it would be honed down to trying to stop a madman that had considerable power on his own, but was gaining more as the old wizarding families fell to the propaganda. _Peter._ Fuck, if Peter could go against James, then just about anyone could be pulled to that side.

            For a moment, despair crept up and it was hard to breathe around the lump in his throat. He knew what it was like to live under the cruel scrutiny of mindless hate. His years at Hogwarts had been a respite as most in her hallowed halls hadn’t known his secret. It had been ruthlessly guarded by him and the Marauders, with very few exceptions. Snape hadn’t spilled his secret, at least not while they were students. A miracle of Professor Dumbledore, Remus was positive. But the sour, black haired boy had been even more acidic and hateful after the ‘Incident’ fifth year. He figured that most, if not all of the Death Eaters knew of his affliction by now, and it was only a matter of time before it was used against them, especially now that he and Sirius were married.

            _What have I done?_ For the first time in a very long time, Remus felt as if his world was being shaken. He couldn’t bring in a deep breath, and he could feel himself start to tremble. _Sirius is going to be ridiculed and released from duties, and it’s all your fault._ Images of his husband hounded by the press came through his mind’s eye and he felt sick. Blood rushed in his ears. Peter had all of their secrets tucked away in his deceptively sharp mind, and the hateful Snape had probably already… _Merlin, the only reason you haven’t been outed yet is that you were on the outskirts where you belong._

            “Remus!” Lily’s sharp voice cut through, and Remus found himself sitting on a bench, his head resting on his knees as he sucked in breath. “Darling, you’re all right. I need you to breathe. Suck it in, come on.”

            She stroked his shoulders, gripping them tight enough to bring him back. “That’s it, love. Come on, I need you to breathe, okay? Mags is getting worried. That’s it. You’re all right.”

            He worked on sucking in air, filling lungs that burned from a lack of oxygen. He felt lightheaded and hollow, completely drained as he realized what must have happened. “Merlin’s fucking beard, I haven’t… fuck. Fuck, I haven’t done that in… in forever.” His voice was raw and he swallowed hard. Fuck. Closing his eyes, he felt shame and despair roll over him in a wave that made him feel even more unsteady. Tears burned the backs of his eyes.

            “Shh, it’s all right, Rem. It’s okay. We’re all safe. Maggie’s okay, and Sirius and James are back at the villa probably getting shitty drunk despite us telling them not to.” Lily’s voice came through, gentle but firm as one hand stroked his hair. He was reminded of his mother, and felt a twist to his gut at the thought that Lily was going to be a mother herself. They were all having another baby, bringing a new life in. It was a given that they would all take some responsibility in raising the pup, just as James and Lily had taken shared responsibility with Maggie.

            _Fuck! Maggie._ He lifted his face and was greeted by Lily’s worried face and relieved smile. “There you are, Lupin. I was worried there for a moment. Maggie is right there, next to you. She’s fine. We’re all fine, love.”

            “She shouldn’t be seeing me like this.” His breath hitched again and he squeezed his eyes shut, grinding the heels of his hands into them. “Fuck, Lily, I don’t want anyone seeing me like this.”

            “There’s nothing to be shamed of. We all get overwhelmed sometimes, and that’s all right. Are you okay to keep going, or do you need to sit a few?”

            He was still shaking, but he took an unsteady breath and nodded. He wanted to finish their shopping and get back to their rooms. When he looked at his daughter, his world dropped out a little bit further. She was watching him with huge, sad eyes that broke his heart. She wasn’t upset, not really. At least, she wasn’t frightened. He had never seen such maturity in eyes so young. What was he doing, bringing her into his world like this? She didn’t deserve to be exposed to… With a small, distressed cry, she launched herself at him, all arms and legs wrapping around him.

            “No!” Her voice was small, and carried enough upset to make Remus taste bile at the back of his throat. “No! Don’t go’way! Da! No!” She started sobbing, clutching him as if she expected him to cast her off at any time.

            “I’m not going anywhere, Maggie,” he told her breathlessly, wrapping his arms around her, one large hand cupping the back of her head where it was buried against his neck. She shook her head. “I’m here, poppet, and I’m not going away. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

            Vaguely, he was aware of Lily discretely casting a _patronus_ and whispering an urgent message, no doubt to Sirius. He turned his face into his daughter’s and rocked her back and forth as he tried in vain to calm them both. Maggie was whimpering, “Don’t go’way, Da.” His chest felt as if it were on fire and he felt like he was going to be sick. Self-loathing hit like a tsunami wave. What kind of father was he that he couldn’t even protect her from this, the most basic of threats? Sobs progressed to a full on child’s distressed cry, one that he had rarely heard from her. It was a horrid loop, he realized, the more upset he became, the worse it was for her. He couldn’t stop it, panic rising again as he couldn’t let her go and he couldn’t push everything back.

            Lily seemed to realize what was happening and tried to stroke Maggie’s head and back, but it only served to upset the child further. Turning her attention to Remus, Lily sat on the bench next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, drawing both him and the girl closer to her in a way she’d done for him when they were at Hogwarts and she’d found him hiding in the back of the library. “You’re doing fine, Remus. I need you to listen to me. Focus on my voice, love. Sirius is coming. He’ll be here in a minute. Everyone is all right, you’re all right. I need you to breathe. Come on, love.”

            It seemed like an eternity, but was in reality only a few minutes before Sirius was there, the calming balm of his energy washing over Remus. Maggie’s wail died down to hiccups the moment her papa arrived and wrapped both of them in his arms. She loosened one arm from her da and gripped Sirius with a sickening desperation. “No! Papa! No! I don’ want Da to go’way, Papa! Don’ go’way, Papa!”

            “No one’s going away, Mags,” Sirius soothed, tears burning his own eyes. Lily looked around and decided it was worth the risk to apparate. She locked eyes with him and nodded, gripping Remus’s arm while Sirius was still holding both of them. It was a joint effort learned through various escapades getting drunk classmates back to safety. Though to be honest, it had usually been Remus working with Lily and not Sirius, but he remembered well enough.

            When they were back to the villa, it wasn’t long before Sirius had both Remus and Maggie calmed and more or less normal. Their daughter sleeping between them on the hammock hanging on the back deck, Sirius cupped his husband’s chin and lifted his face. “I love you, Moony. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve talked me down from more than my share of meltdowns.”

            Remus closed his eyes and nuzzled his face into Sirius’s palm. He felt the burn of exhausted tears again; everything may be calm now, but he still felt so incredibly raw inside. “I never thought I would need Occulmancy skills to deal with a three year old.” He’d tried for a bit of levity but it fell flat. “Sirius, she’s a full sensitive. This changes everything.”

            Sirius drew him in and pressed their lips together tenderly. “I know, Moons. I think I know who can help us. It might be a bit awkward, but we can discuss it later. You want to talk about what upset you so badly?”

            Remus sighed, his fingers flexing where they were resting on Sirius’s hip. “I forced Lily to spill the beans about her being knocked up. Everything was happy and we were joking around, then the conversation went to fears over the war. Everything rolled downhill from there. One thought led to another and before I know it, I can’t breathe and I’m sitting on a park bench with Lily talking me down from a fucking panic attack.”

            Sirius stroked his hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead, letting himself linger and holding Remus to him. They were spooned around Maggie, the little girl sleeping soundly with her fingers gripping Remus’s shirt as if still frightened he was going to leave her. Their lower legs were entwined below her and their heads were touching over hers, making a living cocoon for their precious tot.

            “Then I realized what a shitty parent I was, exposing Mags to my fucked up mental process,” Remus continued, his voice shaking. Sirius wrapped his fingers around the back of his neck and held on, feeling him shudder. “I haven’t had that happen in forever, Padfoot. I can usually push it off until I’m alone and the fallout is minimal. I’ve been so happy and felt so safe that I forgot all about it. I didn’t see the signs until it was too late.”

            “You shouldn’t ever feel like you have to hide, Moony,” Sirius told him.

            Remus let out a huffed half-laugh, “I _can’t_ hide it now. This little one picks up everything.”

            “We’ll fix that. But more importantly, I don’t want you to keep things locked inside anymore. I want you to tell me when something bothers you, love, alright?”

            “That’s the problem, Sirius. I haven’t been bothered, and I haven’t hid any big upset, not lately. There’s been upset, yeah, but not anything overwhelming. You’ve seen it all. This came out of bloody nowhere, and Mags was just there to see it and it was one big, overwhelming loop. The more upset I was, the more upset she got, and the more upset she got, the more fucking mental I became.”

            “Where did she get the idea that you were going to leave her,” Sirius asked. The question had been burning at him for hours, but he hadn’t wanted to just blurt it out. He held his breath as he waited for Remus to answer, wondering if he was going to brush it off and give a bullshit answer, or if he was going to tell the truth of it.

            “I saw her looking at me when I came out of the attack and I realized what a horrible piece of shit parent I was, exposing her to that. She needs someone who can handle their emotions, not a monster with anxiety issues.”

            “Hey, we talked about that, didn’t we?” Sirius tightened his grip on the back of Remus’s neck and the other man let out an unsteady breath. “I don’t want to hear that from you. There’s nothing monstrous about you, my husband, in any fucking way, got it?”

            Remus nodded, but kept his eyes closed. He took another breath. “She must have seen the self-loathing and jumped to the conclusion that I was going to offload her onto someone else and disappear for her own good. It wasn’t what I was actually thinking, Sirius, I swear. Even in the middle of that pathetic mess, I never once considered leaving her. Or you. I think sometimes it would be best if I did, if I let both of you have a life without being linked to… to someone who is a pariah, to someone that could hurt… that could devastate and… and, oh, God, Sirius, what have I done in my selfishness?” When his voice broke, Sirius felt a small part of his own soul shatter.

            “I want you to listen to me, Remus.” Sirius sounded strange, his voice tight as he tried to articulate what was swelling in his heart. “I want you to set aside all of that shite that you’ve told yourself, that others have fucking poured into your head. I. Love. You. I’m not going anywhere, and you deserve to have me in your life. You deserve to have Maggie. You bloody fucking well deserve to be happy and healthy and whole. There is no selfishness in keeping here with us, and it would kill me to be without you.”

            “Siri-” Remus tried, but was cut off by the desperate press of Sirius’s lips to his.

            “No. No, Remus, I mean it. I wouldn’t last without you, so don’t ever fucking think of it. Don’t… just don’t.”

            “All right,” Remus whispered, and they fell into a silence, breathing each other in as the hammock swayed in the breeze.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) Another chapter! YAY! Sorry for the delay, but better late than never, right? Thanks for all the love, guys, it's what keeps this thing rolling.

*~*~*

            _They made him sick._ Narrowed, feral eyes stared out of the shadows, watching the two men walking through the crowd, the child between them, each holding one of her hands. They were the picture of a happy fucking family. Non-traditional, but not unheard of in the wizarding culture. A sneer crossed his lips as Greyback recalled the laws governing same-sex marriages. It was perfectly legal because if you were a ‘proper’ wizard, once you signed on that dotted line, whoever magically and legally chose the bitch status accepted the child-bearing ability that went along with it. He wondered if the bastard pup realized what he’d traded for the collared safety of being Black’s ‘bride’.

            The late afternoon sun shone down on them as they moved through the people easily, both handsome and graceful with perfect hair and perfect fucking skin. Healthy and spry and strong, the picture of modern youth. His hungry gaze lingered on the taller of the two and licked his lips at the remembered taste of fresh, young blood. He followed them, his form easily slinking further into the shadows as he followed them through the ever crowded muggle city. His skin itched from being around so many humans and he ached to take them out one by one until he was standing in a rain of hot crimson. Unconsciously, he clenched and unclenched his fingers into fists. The pained, high pitched screams echoed in his ears and he shifted, a hand drifting down to adjust his suddenly tight trousers.

            Lupin’s scent drifted back to him on the breeze, familiar enough to make him salivate. He remembered that smell, that earthy, almost musty scent that hadn’t changed much since the last time Greyback had encountered the boy. He wasn’t much of a boy now, which was a pity. His scent was mixed with other things, and the werewolf itched to sink his muzzle into the pup’s soft belly, to take it in again. He wanted to rip and taste and fuck all humanity out of… He stopped, shaking his head to clear it.

            _No._ No, he had a job to do, and he couldn’t let himself get worked up and make a move prematurely. Later. Fuck, later he could have his fill. He’d been promised. The girl… the girl turned to look over her shoulder, her greenish amber eyes finding him after only a couple sweeps of the crowd and he froze. Her nostrils flared delicately, just before her short, stubby legs got tangled up and she tripped. His lips curled in a snarl as Black scooped her up and tossed her playfully up into the air before firmly settling her against his hip.

            Solemnly, she turned to watch him over Black’s shoulder, showing no fear. Greyback’s breath hitched and he licked his teeth. She was the same age as her father had been when Greyback had taken him and made him… transformed him. She was smaller, thinner, brighter. He held his breath as his prey stepped through a puddle of light and it lit up her hair, making it glow like a fireball. The rays hit her eyes, and he shivered as the color took on an unearthly shine. He’d seen those eyes a thousand times in the faces of his ‘children’, the ones that took to the bloodlust so easily. She blinked and shivered, and the moment was gone. She turned her face into Black’s shoulder and he watched as the other man rubbed his cheek across the top of her head, whispering a question.

            She shuddered again and they stopped, suddenly going tense. Greyback watched with astonishment as, on a full muggle street, two wands were discreetly drawn and held against denim clad legs. Lupin stood in front of Black, who held the child tighter and took up a defensive stance, all without giving anything away to the milling humans around them. It was all smooth and natural, something they had either practiced or had instinctually fallen into.

            The older werewolf melted back, away from the sharp eyes of his counterpart. He knew which neighborhood to come back to. It would be easy enough to pick up the trail again. The timing wasn’t quite right for a confrontation; daylight was entirely over-rated. The smile that cut across his lean, unshaven face was unpleasant. Yes, he knew how to find them again. Easy enough.

*~*~*

            “Papa, I don’ like it.” Maggie whispered as she ducked her face into Sirius’s neck, her shiver making him pause.

             He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head and asked, “What don’t you like, Mags? Everything all right?”

             She shook her head, “The man is scary. He’s staring an I don’ like it. Thinking bad things about Da.” Remus locked eyes with him and they smoothly maneuvered so that his husband was standing in front of him and Maggie, both wands discreetly drawn, but hidden against their jean-clad legs. It wouldn’t do to draw odd looks here where they were less than a block away from home. This was their neighborhood now, and if they were going to keep living here, they couldn’t draw negative attention.

            “What does the man look like, love,” Sirius asked, gray eyes scanning the Saturday afternoon crowd for anyone who looked even slightly off. There wasn’t anyone out of place, all of them going about their business like proper Londoners, ignoring everyone but their companions or the ground under their feet. The open shops were doing brisk business, some of the kiosks nearly swarmed with teenagers sorting through records and the newest muggle craze of music cassettes. Sirius had dived into it himself only a few hours earlier, having discovered muggle music in sixth year. He hadn’t had to fight too hard to drag Remus into the phenomenon, and Lily was the reason for his obsession to begin with. James was a bit on the fence about it, preferring the wizarding bands, unless it was a group that his beloved Lily adored. Peter had always liked what James liked.

            “Scary,” Maggie whispered in answer to his intense question. Her tiny voice wobbled a little, “He doesn’t like you.”

           “It’s all right, Mags,” Sirius soothed, and reached out to touch Remus’s elbow. “Let’s cut our outing short, shall we? If Lil wants anything more, she can send Prongs out for it, yeah?”

            “Yeah,” Remus agreed, giving the street another quick glance before turning and stepping closer to Sirius and Maggie. Placing a protective hand on the small of Sirius’s back, he ushered them down the sidewalk. Their easy, wandering conversation was ended and replaced with watchful silence, both men stretching their senses out to pick up on any sort of threat. Maggie wasn’t to be discounted, despite her age.

            As soon as they stepped through the wards on the front garden, Sirius finally drew an easy breath. No one could follow them into their home uninvited without serious, painful consequences. Even so, Remus kept his hand where it was until they were inside the house proper and the door was closed behind them. Lily called a greeting from the kitchen, having made herself at home with an enviable ease that came from years of living in the Hogwarts dorms, and cohabitating with James since their graduation.

            As a group, they’d discussed and decided that there was good sense in the old adage ‘safety in numbers’ and Sirius had extended the invitation for his dearest friends to move into the London property with them. After a couple days of deliberation, they’d accepted. The home was large enough for all of them to live comfortably without stepping over each other, even with the baby on the way. It was a way to rally and stand united against whatever danger was lurking.

            The Dark Lord and his followers had been stepping up activity through both the wizarding and muggle communities, the attacks gaining in frequency and viciousness. As an auror, he’d been tasked with damage control, being one on a liaison team that went to investigate on the muggle end, to obliviate as needed and work with healers on spell damage. It had taken its toll on his usually buoyant, playful nature. Having Remus and Maggie waiting when he got home was his only saving grace. Now that James and Lily had set up housekeeping too, it made him feel even more grounded, the extra numbers reminding him of the safety net of their school years.

            Sirius took Maggie into the kitchen and made noises about getting her a snack. Lily turned with a smile that faded out a little when she saw the way the girl clung when Sirius tried to let her go. “Is everything all right?”

            “It’s all fine now, yeah, Mags? You want to help Aunt Lily make pudding?”

            “Come ‘ere, darling, I’m about to pour the milk. You want to do it for me?” Lily immediately picked up on what Sirius was trying to do, and reached out to take Maggie from his arms. For a moment, it looked as if she were going to fight, her little fingers gripping her papa’s shirt, face going a bit pink. Then she let go abruptly and allowed herself be drawn away.

            “I’ll be right back,” Sirius said, then turned and disappeared back out, joining Remus just as he was completing a check of the third floor windows. It had become a bit of a compulsive ritual for the other man, almost an overwhelming urge to make sure his pack territory was safe. Sirius didn’t even try to stop him, knowing it was a humanized trait of Remus’s inner wolf manifesting due to the growing threat.

            “I checked the second wing,” he said, and stepped in to grip Remus’s elbows, keeping him from stepping around. “We’re safe, Moony, it’s all right.”

            “I need to check-”

            “I promise,” Sirius made sure Remus was looking at him, “I promise, love, I checked the locks and wards. We’re all safe. James is going to be home here in a bit and then we’ll all be where we’re supposed to be.”

            Remus closed his eyes and nodded, clearly fighting the urge to double check. Sirius took the opportunity to steal a kiss, being that they were alone in the upper echelons of their home with Lily and Maggie all the way on the ground floor. He was using it more as a distraction than anything else, but he wasn’t one to let such an opportunity pass him by. When his husband started to pull back, he held on, one hand sneaking into the short, silky strands at the back of his head.

            Melting a little, Remus opened up as Sirius slanted his mouth just right, gently easing him back. He made a little noise at the back of his throat when the back of his legs found the edge of a convenient window seat. When he sat, he pulled his mate in with him, settling Sirius between his open thighs. “I’m sorry,” he murmured when they broke apart for a breath.

            “No apologies, Moony,” Sirius kissed his brow and inhaled deep. “It’s just following nature, and to be honest, I find it very attractive in a husband.”

            “You don’t get tired of saying that, do you?”

            “I don’t think I ever will.” Sirius guided Remus’s hand from its grip on his hip around to the front and bit back a groan as he took the hint and cupped him through his trousers. “Can you feel what you do to me, Moony?”

            Remus’s laugh was a bit breathless, “All I have to do is breathe and you’re ready for me, Padfoot.”

            “True enough, but I love it more when you’re all growling and protective. It gets my blood boiling.”

            “I wasn’t growling.” Remus’s eyebrows came together in concern. “Was I? Merlin’s bloody beard, this has to stop.”

            “No, it doesn’t,” Sirius’s grin was wicked as he nuzzled Remus’s neck, sucking the skin into his mouth hard, making the other man gasp and grip him harder. “I don’t want it to stop. I want you to keep doing it. Fuck, Moony… don’t you dare stop.”

            Unsteady hands had unzipped his trousers and the fingers that slid around him knew exactly what they were doing, stroking and squeezing in just the right way. Eyelids fluttering, Sirius dropped his head back and tried to remember how to breathe. Before he could get too carried away, he pushed Remus’s hand back and banished their clothing, locking the door with a few quick swishes.

            In a matter of minutes, he was on his back under the steady weight of his lover, their erections slick and sliding against each other. He reached between them and wrapped a hand around them, whimpering as Remus did the same, their fingers intertwined for the best distribution of friction. It was a familiar thrust and pull, and he wished they had time for Remus to really take him, to slide into that dark place that could make them both lose their minds. He bit at an earlobe, the small pain earning him another playful growl, the sound making his stomach tight.

            “Please, Moony,” he begged, not really sure what he was asking for, but wanting it all the same. Raking nails across Remus’s spine made him arch in, hips stuttering in their rhythm. It was a quick and ruthless race to the finish, Sirius moving in just the right way, nipping at just the right places to get his werewolf out of his head and into the physical. Soon, it there was nothing else but their bodies and the build up to orgasm.

            Afterward, they lay panting against each other, sweaty and shaking. Remus buried his face in Sirius’s stomach, soaking in the scent of musk and fur that made up everything that he was. The mix of their individual releases combined on their touching skin made his inner wolf grumble contentedly. This was _his_ , this moment, this man, this perfect _mate_. His arms tightened and he felt an overwhelming flare of protectiveness that was as exhilarating as it was frightening.

            Long, elegant fingers carded through his hair, tugging and soothing, and Remus knew that he would rip someone’s throat out if they ever dared to take Sirius away from him. The mental image was so real that he whimpered, burrowing his face deeper into soft flesh. “Sing to me, Padfoot,” he requested, his voice a low gravel. “Talk to me, say something, please. Distract me.”

            There wasn’t a question, nor a hesitation as Sirius started humming a random lullaby, one that he’d learned specifically for Maggie. As the familiar lines rushed over Remus, he focused everything he had on it, on Sirius’s voice, on the _human_ feeling of safety and love. For the moment, it was enough.

 

*~*~*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case y'all are wondering, there will not be mpreg in this fic :) I tossed it in as a possibility, and as a reason why the Wizarding lawmakers would allow same-sex marriages beyond being a tad bit more progressive than the muggle world (in this matter, anyway)


	17. Chapter 17

*~*~*

            He noticed her hovering by the table he’d commandeered in the university library, a petite girl around his age, maybe a year or two younger. She was pretty, with a blossoming blush creeping across her rounded cheeks. _Fuck me,_ Remus thought and braced himself. He remembered what that nervous, twitchy look meant, and anxiety pooled in his gut in anticipation of letting her down, hopefully without hurting her feelings. He wasn’t good at this kind of thing, he never had been. That was more James and Sirius. To his embarrassment, he could feel his own face start to burn, despite his efforts to bury himself in his textbook.

            Second week of term and he was taking to the muggle classes like a fish to water- or a werewolf to the woods, as his husband was prone to say. He usually stayed behind in the library to do his assignments, at least as much as he could because he knew that the moment he was home, schoolwork would be the last thing on his mind. He still made a point to be home no later than seven as to be there for dinner with his family. In the months since James and Lily had moved in, they’d seemed to fall into a fluid routine, a mostly cohesive unit that felt even closer than they’d been in school, as impossible as it sounded. There were less hijinks and more solemn conversations around the hearth, but the troubles of adulthood and finding their feet in the midst of war had made them understand each other deeper.

            After a few agonizing minutes of awkward staring while she tried to gather courage, Remus finally lifted his head to look at the girl, a friendly, mild expression fixed on his face. Blue eyes locked with his, then darted away, the tip of her tongue slipping to wet her bowed, stained lips. _Merlin, help me._

            “Remus?” She said his name with a certain inflection that told him that she’d no doubt practiced this opening line, maybe to the girlfriend waiting just behind the stack to the left, peeking around ever so often to check on her friend’s progress. “I don’t know if you remember me, but I sit a row behind you and six seats to the left.” She faltered and her blush deepened. “I-In Ancient History, with Mrs. Donnavan.”

            He tried to smile, but was afraid that it was a bit on the brittle side. Definitely uncomfortable. “Sure… Annie, is it?” He really hoped that he’d guessed right, having a vague recollection of the professor calling on her once or twice. Besides, it was a common name and he figured he had a one in ten shot at getting it right. Apparently he did, because her smile became more assured and less tremulous.

            “I was wondering if you’d like to get a cuppa after class some time?” _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

            He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not prepared to give any sort of answer. He had to remember that while London was very progressive in so many ways, there were still people who could potentially turn vicious once they learned of his preferences. “I- I’m married,” he blurted finally, and watched her face fall, eyes darting to his left hand, which remained without a ring. The magical marks from their bonding ceremony had been enough for him and Sirius, the creeping vines wrapping around their wrists glowing unobtrusively when they were together. Her face flushed with a bit of humiliated anger and he braced himself.

            It looked as if she were going to cry. “You don’t have to lie, Lupin,” she said, her voice trembling. “A simple no would have sufficed.”

            He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off when a familiar pair of arms slid around his neck and the gentle scent of vanilla and lilacs teased his nose. “There you are, love,” Lily said, and planted a kiss on his temple. “I knew you were here somewhere.”

            “Lily,” he breathed, almost embarrassingly relieved to see his friend. He cleared his throat and turned his face to look at her. “Not that I’m complaining, but aren’t you supposed to be at an appointment?”

            “And have you miss out on seeing the spawn for the first time? Come on, darling, gather your things. The boys are waiting outside and I don’t want to leave them unattended for long, yeah? You know how they are. We want the building to remain unscathed.”

            Remus looked up at the unfortunate Annie and saw that she looked a bit too pale now, having lost all the extra color and then some. He gathered up his things in record time, apologizing to his fellow student as he did. “Annie, this is Lily,” he introduced, and felt his face flame once again as his friend gave the poor girl a slightly disdainful once-over. “Lily, this is Annie, we have Ancient History together.”

            “Charmed,” Lily droned, her smile a little self-satisfied as she leaned into Remus a bit possessively as he stood. She was dressed in a pretty brown and green dress, white tights and Mary Jane flats. She brought deliberate attention to the barely there bump by placing a ringed hand over it, rubbing just a little for effect. “Madame Pomfry is such a doll for delaying our appointment, love, but you know how she is.”

            “Y-yeah,” Remus agreed, catching onto what she was trying to do, and shouldered his messenger bag, glancing over at Annie one last time. “See you in class, Annie.” For good measure, he placed a steadying hand to Lily’s back as they made their way to the door.

            “Thank fuck,” he breathed the moment they were out of sight. He stopped and bent at the waist, letting his bag fall to the floor. “And thank _you._ Bloody Christ, I thought there was going to be a scene there for a moment.”

            Lily chuckled and clapped him on his shoulder when he straightened. “Don’t mention it, _love_ ,” she kissed his cheek and took his hand, tugging him toward the exit. “I’m just glad that it wasn’t Sirius that came in to fetch you. It may have gone a bit differently.”

            “I don’t even want to think about it anymore,” Remus groaned, rubbing at his forehead. He wished for a pair of sunglasses the moment they were out in the rare fall sunshine. His eyes were sensitive on a good day, but it was less than a week until the full moon and it seemed to get a little worse the closer it got to his ‘time of the month’.”

            He saw James and Sirius in the park across the street, as Lily had told him; James sprawled across an iron park bench, and Sirius perched on the back of it, feet planted on the seat near his friend’s feet. He smiled, the last of the tension easing out of him at the sight. Dressed in their now habitual muggle clothing, Sirius looked as if he’d stepped out of the London underground punk scene. Long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck, black Sex Pistols t-shirt under a black leather jacket, tight ripped jeans and a pair of black leather boots. Remus felt a slow ache start in his loins as he watched his mate light a cigarette and then give him a casual wave, a happy half-grin touching his full lips. He kicked James’s legs and hopped down, starting his usual saunter to meet Remus and Lily halfway.

            “There’s my Moony,” Sirius greeted him with an enthusiastic kiss, bringing their bodies flush as if it had been days since they’d seen each other instead of just that morning. He unclipped the stylish sunglasses off the collar of his shirt and handed them to Remus, who slid them on gratefully with a sigh of relief.  

            “Careful there, Black,” Lily said with a mock scowl, “You know how jealous I can be, and no one wants to anger a ginger, right?”

            Remus groaned and shook his head, shooting her a death-glare. “Don’t you even start, Evans, don’t even start.”

            Lily burst into peals of laughter at Sirius’s confused look and the return of Remus’s blush. She hadn’t seen him this put off in ages. The unflappable, calm, and collected werewolf looked as if he wanted to melt into the ground and disappear. “You owe me big, Sirius. Some little tart had our Rem cornered in the library and was about to give him an earful. Seems she doesn’t take rejection well and didn’t believe him when he said he was married.”

            James let out a whoop of laughter and elbowed Remus playfully. “Only you, Moony!”

            Sirius was smiling, but his grip was a bit possessive as he dove in for another brief kiss. Remus rolled his eyes and adjusted his bag across his shoulders, the blush finally receding. “Now she thinks I’m married to Lily and we’ve got two and a half kids. I think it took care of any future awkwardness. Merlin, I hope it did, anyway. I froze up and couldn’t get any words to go right. I told her I was married and since we decided to forego rings, she thought I was lying to get rid of her. Bloody fuck, what a mess.”

            As a group, they strolled toward a deserted area of the park where they could safely apparate. “I didn’t think you guys needed me there,” Remus commented casually, leaning a bit into Sirius as the chilled wind blew through, rattling the trees overhead.

            “And why wouldn’t we,” James asked, blinking over at his friend as if the very idea shocked him. “You’re a part of this, Moony, there’s no escaping. It’s the kind of shite godfathers do, isn’t it?”

             Remus stopped and stared at him, stunned at the proclamation. He looked from Lily to James, then to Sirius and back to James. “I-,” he tried, then cleared his throat and tried again, “I thought… I- are you sure? I don’t think I-”

             “I think you broke him, Prongs,” Sirius joked, but wrapped a steadying arm around Remus’s waist.

              “Listen,” Lily said, not unkindly. Her green eyes shone warmly over at him and she reached out to take his hand. “James and I did our research. As much as I _hate_ the idea that our laws are so fucked up that you have to be under the ‘supervised care’ of a human spouse to get basic goddamn rights despite the fact that they can use you as cannon fodder against the fucking…”

               She took a breath and let it out slow, forcing her shoulders to relax before continuing in a calmer tone, “Because you two are married, it’s legal for you to be named as a godfather to our son. You and Sirius are our choices, obviously. But only if you’re all right with it. We were going to ask you both over dinner, to kind of ease into it, but my _adorable_ husband had to open his mouth.”

               Remus stared at her for another long moment, then looked to Sirius, who nodded at him reassuringly. “It is only right to return the favor, yeah?”

               “I would be honored-,” Remus started, letting out a show breath.

                “ _We_ would be honored,” Sirius corrected, then bussed a kiss to Remus’s cheek, then burst into motion, grabbing his and Lily’s hands to drag them the rest of the way to the apparation point. “Now c’mon, I want to see the tadpole!”

*~*~*

            “What’s this?” Remus raised an eyebrow over at Sirius when he noticed the small wooden box sitting next to his morning tea and toast, nearly a week after the incident at the library. Annie had moved her seat to the back corner of the classroom, avoiding even looking in his direction while her friend shot him dirty looks over their textbooks.

            Sirius slid into the seat next to him, cradling his own cup and grinning that self-satisfied smile that told him that his partner was incredibly proud of himself. It was early on a Sunday, the two of them having made a habit of making it their special time, just one day a week where they didn't have any pressures and no one but themselves. James, Lily and Maggie were all still sleeping and it gave them some easy alone time where they could just enjoy each other in the early hours. Sirius had a suspicion that their friends knew of their new habit and purposely stayed abed for longer than they normally would. Not that it was such a hardship, mind.

            “Open it and see,” he urged, nodding at Remus’s hands, which were turning the small box over and around slowly.

            Shooting him an amused look, and half expecting it to explode with confetti or glitter despite the early hour, Remus clicked the latch and slipped the lid open. Nestled inside a black velvet cushion lining, were two gold rings. His heart swelled with affection as he laid the box back on the table and picked up one of the rings to look at it closer. It was engraved with the same creeping flowering vine as what closed around their wrists. He watched as his husband took the ring from him and knelt down next to his chair, taking his left hand with a slightly emotional version of his carefree grin.

            “I don’t like the idea of anyone mistaking you as anything but mine,” Sirius said, eyes searching Remus’s for any sign of irritation or anger. Remus realized that he was worried that he was coming across as possessive and old-fashioned, and he wondered how long he’d had these rings set aside. As if to answer the question, Sirius continued, almost sheepishly, “I was going to wait until Yule to bring them out, but the incident at the library… well…”

            Remus smiled softly and cupped his fingers under Sirius’s chin, pressing their lips together in a sweet, lingering kiss. “Thank you, I'll wear mine with love and honor, Padfoot. Besides, that was bloody embarrassing. If it weren’t for Lily, who knows where the blow up may have ended.”

            “With me finding the chit and hexing her eyebrows off,” Sirius said with a smirk. He took the ring and slipped it on Remus’s finger. “With my token I claim you, Remus Lupin-Black, for all to see.”

            The air became charged with magic and intent, sending a shiver down Remus’s spine. He retrieved the second ring and slid it on Sirius’s finger, then repeated, “With my token I claim you, Sirius Lupin-Black, for all to see.”

 

*~*~*

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so very much for all the support on this thing! It really does make my day to see all of you enjoying my work. :D

 

*~*~*

            He was getting impatient. Orders had changed, their nature just as goddamned fickle as the whore that gave them out. It was just like the _pureblood_ bastards to get him set on prey, to get his bloodlust stirred and his interest invested, then put a fucking halt to it. He was just supposed to watch for now. Watch and report back their every move. Greyback felt his lips curl back in a snarl of distaste as he slid into the open door of the broom and quidditch supply shop when his ‘assignment’ paused at one of the window displays.

            He was intrigued by the girl, fascinated by her potential. He wanted to rip her throat out and watch her bleed, and yet at the same time, he wondered what it would be like to take her and make her like the others. He wondered if she could grow up to be one of his little hunters, to perhaps exceed them. He could see it in her eyes when he was close enough, that sharp amber that saw everything. He’d had to be on his toes with her, bringing out all of his considerable talent to remain unseen. She always seemed to know where he was, that tiny little button nose of hers crinkling right before those eyes landed on his hiding spot.

            She was never without an adult with her, not even in her own gardens. They left nothing to chance, or he would have had her already. His willpower had never been the greatest, and she was a very tempting little morsel. His employer would be cross with him, but he had been ordered not to engage or touch Black or the Potters. There was nothing specific said about the little bitch. They moved on and slipped into the bookstore, all three of them moving as a unit. It was all casual, but Greyback knew they were doing it on purpose. No one branched off on their own, not now, not here. The last attack had happened less than three days ago, low casualty, high property damage. His grin turned sharp as he saw some of the black robed, white-masked wizards materialize.

            He may be put out about having to wait for his treat, but he had to give it to the so-called ‘Death Eaters’… they knew how to incite mayhem.

*~*~*

            Maggie jumped when she heard the loud crash at the front of the store, eyes going wide as her heart thundered in her chest. Da held her hand tight as Papa told them both to stay where they were and ran to see what happened, wand in hand. She flinched as there was another loud bang and then people started shouting and running inside the shop. There hadn’t been a huge crowd, but when everyone was trying to quickly navigate the narrow aisles to get to the back exits, there was a crush. A tall man in black robes shoved past her and Da, bumping her in his haste and knocking her down.

            Scrambling back out of the way, she got to her feet only to be herded back by several more big people coming through. “Maggie,” her Da called, alarmed, and in her panic, she forgot her voice again. All she could manage was a whimper as she was shoved and pushed out the back door with the people. When she got outside, the door shut with a clang and a flash of white as the emergency wards kicked in. _No, no, no!_ She jerked as someone screamed at the mouth of the alleyway, and she scrambled down off the back steps and into a smaller hiding space.

            There were cracks and flashes of light as the ruckus made its way into the area where she was hiding, and she could hear someone pounding on the sealed door, calling her name in a panic. A sob got stuck in her throat and she made herself into the smallest ball she could manage, in the corner by the stairs. Wedged between the garbage bin and the wooden platform, she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her hands, burying her face in her knees.

            Something hit the bin and it bounced and shuddered, falling over. At the last moment, Maggie bolted from her hiding spot, half-crawling out into the open. Terrified and confused, she ran right into the legs of a stranger. He caught her and hauled her up, spinning her around so that she was facing out, his arm too tight around her middle. She could feel his anger and hate, the emotions hot and scary as they pinged through her. _Filthy, fucking muggle-lovers. I’ll show them the meaning of fear. They should have kept their loyalty._

            “Maggie!” Papa shouted as she was whirled around to face him and a group of others holding their wands out defensively.

            All of a sudden her voice started working again and she screamed, “ _Papa!_ ”

            “You have a brat now, Black?” the man sounded only too pleased, his arm tightening around her so much it was hard to breathe. “Wonder where you’ve been hiding this little morsel?”

            “Put her down, Lestrange!”

            “ _Traitor_ ,” the man holding her roared and shook her so hard her teeth clacked together. “The Dark Lord will have you groveling at his feet! You will beg for forgiveness, Black! And it _will not be granted!_ ”

            He held his wand out toward her papa and Maggie felt like her insides were expanding in a tingling rush. It was hot and cold, dry and wet, high and low all at once. All she could think of was that she knew what the bad man was planning, and she couldn’t let him do it. Her magic flared, bright and painful and there was an odd, floaty feeling of not being in her body anymore. There was a hoarse scream that seemed to echo above her head, then she was falling to the ground with a painful jolt. There was running steps and she felt her papa picking her up. Her head felt funny and she felt like she was going to throw up; the world was spinning out of control.

            “Baby, stay with me,” Papa said, but he sounded too far away. “Look at me, Mags. C’mon, my love.”

            She couldn’t focus her eyes and he was nothing but a blurry outline with wavy black hair. She heard Da’s voice, could feel it when he came to his knees next to her and Papa and gathered her up. There was more shouting over her, background screaming, then she faded into blackness.

*~*~*

            “We need to get her to a safe point,” Remus said urgently, trying to keep a tight reign on the sheer terror that clutched him. Maggie was completely limp, her head flopping back as he took her from Sirius as the other aurors rushed in to take the Death Eater into custody. There were still hexes flying around on the main street as the rest of the local squad came in to do damage control and at least try to apprehend the perpetrators. Most of them had already apparated, but there was at least one more on the streets.

            Sirius looked half-mad, his eyes wild as he checked Maggie over for any physical damages, “I swear on all that’s holy, I’ll flay his fucking skin off his bones if he hurt her,” he was growling, his fingers trembling visibly as he pushed her hair back out of her face. He pressed them to the side of her neck and checked her pulse, a little bit of the sheer panic easing as he found it slow but steady.

            “Sirius, we need to get her to St. Mungos,” Remus tried again, knowing that he had to at least _sound_ calm if he was going to keep his husband from flying completely off the handle. Sirius stared up at him for a long moment, taking in the fear and rage simmering just under the surface calm, then nodded. Action was what needed to happen, and they needed to make sure that their little girl was all right. He called out their intentions over his shoulder, then gripped Remus’s hand and apparated them out.

*~*~*

            Twenty minutes later, Remus was about to hex the next person in a crisp, white uniform that walked past him. Sirius was in with Maggie, but once they’d realized who and what Remus was, they were fast in ordering him out and away from his own daughter. After the initial flush of rage, he’d realized that he would just make it impossible for Maggie to get the help she needed if he made a fuss and pushed the issue. Right now, because of the blood adoption and because no one challenged it, they were under the impression that Sirius was her blood father. The entire thing made him sick. He’d had to pull Sirius aside to stop him from making a scene, just so that at least one of them could be in with her.

            He heard doors slamming open and startled, turning his head sharply toward the noise, all of his senses on hyper alert. His knees felt suddenly weak as he saw James and Lily nearly running down the hall toward the chairs set aside for ‘people like him’ to wait, not wanting a potentially contagious violent creature near other patients and their families. Lily reached him first, slamming into him with a comforting force.

            “We came as soon as we got the message! Why aren’t you in there with them? Sirius said that Maggie isn’t responding, and it makes sense to have both of you in there, being as sensitive as she is. Knowing that you’re there and she’s safe would go a long way towards bringing her back.”

            Remus felt himself start to shake, helpless anger, pain, and self-loathing coiling together. His voice wasn’t entirely steady as he intoned, “I’m a violent, potentially contagious dark creature and it is their policy to restrict unnecessary contact-”

           “Complete bullocks!” James erupted furiously, his already frayed temper snapping. Shoulders squared, he marched down the hall toward what Remus was vaguely certain was the main offices. He had never been seen at this hospital, even as a child. It was one of the reasons his parents had chosen to live on the outskirts, mostly straddling the magical and muggle worlds. It was better for them to be seen at a muggle hospital, where they weren’t aware of his ‘affliction’ and if they did, chances were they wouldn’t care, they would treat him anyway because it was their fucking policy. It always boggled Remus’s mind that as educated as a person had to be in order to become a healer, most were sorely lacking in training when it came to humanoid ‘creatures’. If they knew anything about lycanthropy, they would realize that it was only contagious after transformation on the full moon. You couldn’t get it any other way, any other time of the month.

            Lily guided him to sit in one of the chairs, her arm around his back protectively. “What happened, Remus? All Sirius said was that there was an attack in Diagon Alley and Maggie was hurt.”

            Remus pressed his fingers into his eyes and tried to keep himself together. It had been easier when he’d been standing alone, his rage keeping him from thinking too hard or picturing Maggie in the clutches of that monster, Lestrange. The brute of a man had lost his mask somewhere in the confrontation and had looked grizzled and out of his mind, a far cry from the silent but almost elegant boy that had graduated two years ahead of them. “She looked so fucking small, Lily. He had her, held her up like a bloody shield, shaking her. He was screaming about the Dark Lord, holding his wand out to hex Sirius…” His voice broke and he leaned forward, resting his forehead on the top of his knees as reaction fully set in.

            “It’s all right, Remus,” Lily murmured, hugging his side as best she could, stroking his back. “It’s over now, love. Maggie is being taken care of and Sirius is in there with her. You know he won’t let anything more happen, yeah?”

            He knew she was trying to be comforting, but it wasn’t working. All he could think of was the brilliant flash of light, the mix of Maggie’s high-pitched scream and Lestrange’s roar of agony. “She did something,” Remus told her, “She knew that Lestrange was going to do something awful to Sirius and she stopped him with a fit of accidental magic. _Fucking Christ_ , Lily, she’s not even four years old yet! Her core isn’t developed well enough! What if she burnt it out?”

            Lily’s already pale cheeks lost a few more shades and she buried her face in his shoulder. “Let’s not borrow trouble yet, Lupin, yeah? They still haven’t come back with any results, have they?”

            “Even if they had, they wouldn’t fucking bring them to me, would they,” he snapped, then immediately regretted it. “I’m sorry. _Fuck,_ Lily, I feel so useless.”

            “Mr. Lupin-Black,” the clipped tones sounded forced and when Remus looked up, he saw an older woman in the classic healer’s robes, only with a line of official looking badges hooked on the lapels. Her face was pinched with disapproval, and there were high spots of angry color in her cheeks. James was standing just behind her, his own expression smug despite the still furious snap of his eyes. “If you would come with me, we shall see to your child.” She spat the last, and James tensed up behind her.

            “Madame, I was not putting you on when I said I would have you up for review with the healer’s council and brought before the Minister himself. This is unacceptable and against the healer’s vows, of which I am aware are magically binding to all that accept employment at this hospital. There will be no more harassment of Mr. Lupin-Black, nor any other that may come to you for help. Have you any idea how many suffer and die without treatment because they feel they cannot come to you in their hour of need? This prejudice must stop, and it must stop immediately.” Remus had never heard his friend speak so succinctly, or sound so educated and elite. As pompous as he could come across sometimes, James wasn't one to pull out the Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter persona very often. In fact, he usually went out of his way to make sure it wasn't mentioned and got a bit flustered when it came up. Remus felt the uncomfortable, hysterical urge to laugh, especially when the hag opened her mouth, then closed it again when she had no rebuttal.

            Lily stood and pulled Remus up with her, gripping his hand tightly. The woman turned sharply on her heel and marched toward the door where Sirius and Maggie were. James rested his hand on Remus’s elbow reassuringly and gave him a quick smile. “Thank you,” Remus breathed, grateful affection tightening his chest. “I don’t know what to…”

            “Don’t worry about it, Moony,” James said, “You can pay me back later. Let’s get in there and see to our girl, yeah?”

*~*~*

 

 

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sweet little interlude... <3 Insanely short, but I wanted to get it out of there before I head out for a long weekend.

*~*~*

            _“Hello darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again.”_ Sirius stood in the doorway of the private room and fought back tears at the sound of Remus’s soft voice singing to their daughter. It was a muggle song that they both listened to a little too often, being a bit on the melancholy side. It was different hearing it in Moony’s soft, achingly smooth tenor. He was lying in the bed, cradling Maggie and stroking her hair.

             They’d been in there for three days, moved to a private room after the disastrous first day. If it hadn’t been a blessing to be in the quieter area of the pediatric ward, Sirius and James would have both pitched a fit at the blatant segregation. As long as Maggie was still getting the care she needed, then they could meet in the middle with this compromise. Their pup still hadn’t woken up. All of her vitals were perfect; breathing, heart-rate, blood pressure. Her core was slowly filling back in, monitored just as, if not more, closely than her physical state.

             The official diagnosis was severe magical burnout. In an adult with a fully formed magical core it wouldn't have been this devastating. They would have been rendered unconscious for a few hours and lethargic for a few days without the ability to perform any magical tasks until it was replenished. Because of her age, it was much more serious. The healer that had stepped up to take Maggie’s chart, despite having to be in the same room as a lycanthrope, had surprised all of them by being not only competent, but sweet and engaging. The young woman spoke to Remus as if completely unaware of his status, comforting all of them with the open lines of communication and quiet reassurance that after a few days of rest Maggie would find a full recovery. She'd also said that physical contact would definitely help, and the more they interacted with her, the quicker she would return.

_“In restless dreams I walked alone, down narrow streets of cobblestone. Beneath the halo of the streetlamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp when my eyes were stunned by the flash of the neon light that split the night, and touched the sound of silence.”_ Remus sang into the top of Maggie’s head, his eyes closed as he cradled her ever tighter. Sirius wasn’t entirely sure that his husband was singing the right lyrics, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered but the soft crooning. He slipped further into the dimly lit room and leaned against the wall, trying to keep his movements smooth and silent, not wanting Remus to stop.

            He realized that James was already there, sitting in the chair just behind Remus’s back, his eyes closed and silent tears rolling down his cheeks. He must have snuck in while Sirius was gone and taken a quiet seat, thinking that the other man was finally sleeping. They were all exhausted and run thin, but they were all worried about Remus. He’d been too quiet, too still, and yet it was obvious that he was on hyper-alert, all his abnormally sharp senses tuned into their surroundings. No one entered the room without him knowing, which meant that Moony knew they were there, Sirius realized.

             As the singing died away, he proved it by murmuring, “Come here, Padfoot. You too, Jamie.”

             Sirius looked at James, who took an unsteady breath as he locked eyes with Sirius. “Do an expansion charm on the bed, Padfoot,” Remus suggested, still not looking at either of them. “Then both of you come here.” There was a rawness to his voice that made it hard to argue. They may be grown adults, but in times like these it still seemed like the best solution was to revert to the tried and true ‘puppy pile’. It was something that they’d started in second year, at first doing it right after the full moon to comfort their hurting friend, and then it sort of morphed into something they did whenever one of them hit a hard patch that went beyond their childish means of coping. They’d pile up around whoever, warm bodies curling up around each other in a platonic, familiar way.

             Silently, Sirius did as asked and then re-holstered his wand, not wanting to be unarmed anywhere that wasn’t home. Then he slipped in behind Remus and wrapped his arm around his husband’s waist and across Maggie’s back. James toed his shoes off and removed his jacket before climbing in on Maggie’s other side, curling in around the tot and settling his hand on Remus’s hip, his arm touching Sirius's.

             Fifteen minutes later, when Lily made her way into the room, she looked down at them with a soft smile before following her husband’s example, removing shoes and sweater. Then she climbed in behind him and buried her face in the back of his neck.

*~*~*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just in case you didn't know, the song Remus is singing is 'Sound of Silence' by Simon and Garfunkle. I was listening to it this morning and had to put it in.


	20. Chapter 20

*~*~*

            On the fourth day, Maggie started to come out of it, actively snuggling into Sirius as he took a turn cuddling with her. When she whimpered and rubbed her face into his shoulder, it felt like his heart was going to stop. Everyone else was gone, Lily having drug Remus home to shower and eat something not take-out, and James at work trying to write up a bill to put in front of the Wizengamot for review about the treatment of werewolves and other ‘humanoid creatures’ by mainstream healers. In true Potter fashion, he had all the hopes of swaying other key members to the vote. Sirius was a bit more realistic, especially with the widening campaign Voldemort and his followers were waging with the pureblood families. It didn’t diminish the gratitude and affection he felt toward his best friend for putting in such a valiant effort.

            “Maggie, darling, c’mon and wake up now,” he crooned gently when the girl in his arms made a soft snuffling sound and rubbed her face into his chest. “We’ve been waiting for you, poppet.”

            “Papa?” His heart leapt at the groggy, confused voice.

            “Yeah, baby,” he choked and squeezed her tighter. “It’s all right, I’m here, everything’s all right.”

            “Okay,” she whispered, then squirmed a little before dropping back off to sleep. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

            Three hours later, Sirius was brought out of his light doze when he felt someone unfamiliar enter the small private room they had been assigned. He’d tuned himself into the magical signatures of his immediate family- Remus, James, and Lily- and the limited hospital staff that weren’t complete bastards. Without thinking, he had his wand out and unerringly pointed before he even had his eyes fully open.

            "That won't be necessary, Mr. Black," a familiar voice spoke with an easy drawl and made him drop his wand just as fast as he’d raised it. Blinking, he let out a soft groan and gently disentangled himself from his daughter. When she made a small noise at the movement, tiny fingers flexing in his shirt, he felt a heavy mix of relief and happiness settle somewhere in his ribcage.

            “It’s nice to see you like this,” Dumbledore continued, amused as he watched Sirius brush the little girl’s hair back from her face and kiss her forehead before sitting up and stretching out stiff muscles. “I have to admit that I was surprised by your capacity for parenting.”

            “I’m not quite sure how to respond to that, Professor,” Sirius said, biting back the less than polite response that first came to his tongue. He rubbed at his face, feeling the scrape of stubble on his cheeks and knew that he really should take Remus’s example and nip home for a much needed shower.

            “Very carefully, Black,” another, deeper voice warned and Sirius realized that Moody was there, along with… Madame Bones? He straightened and ran his fingers through his disheveled hair.

            “What’s going on,” he asked, self-conscious about his ragged appearance. None of them had wanted to leave Maggie’s side, and for once vanity wasn’t really all that important. “Not that I’m complaining about seeing all of you, but I’m guessing that you’re not visiting for the hell of it.”

            “Mr. Lupin-Black, you’re not in trouble,” Amelia Bones broke in, her voice just a tad softer than her normal strident tones. Blue eyes were gentle as they moved over the child in the bed, taking in her small size and extreme pallor. “We just need to speak with you and your husband about your daughter and what happened in Diagon Alley. We’ve taken the liberty of claiming one of the empty offices.”

            “Remus is-”    

            “Right here,” Remus broke in from behind the small crowd that had formed just inside the hospital room door. “And wondering what in Merlin’s name is going on. You all realize that this is a sickroom, and that our daughter is-”

            “Calm yourself, Lupin,” Moody interrupted evenly and not unkindly. “There’s been some developments with Lestrange and we need to figure out what your girl did to him in that alley. He’s just woke up this morning, screaming his fool head off enough to have to be sedated. Can’t get a word out of him that makes any sort of sense, and the healers say his core is damaged. He may not get all his magic back.”

            Remus’s face smoothed out in shock and he just stared for a moment, before looking back toward Lily, who was just behind him. “Lily, would you mind staying in here with Maggie?

            “Of course,” Lily looked worried, but squeezed his arm as she went past, taking Sirius’s place sitting on the edge of the bed. As everyone filed out of the room, she took up the book they’d been taking turns reading out loud to Maggie and settled in, one hand going to stroke through the little girl’s curls.

*~*~*

            “I don’t know what you’re hoping to accomplish,” Remus commented, a little defensive as they filed into the empty office. He felt better after taking the brief break to shower and recharge a little at home. He never had been comfortable with anyone in a position of authority, having learned the hard way that most had very little respect or basic human regard for him. Dumbledore and the staff at Hogwarts had been the exception to the rule and in a way had set an unrealistic view for the younger Remus. That illusion had been shattered not long after his graduation when he’d still had the naïve ideals that he would be the one exception to the rule that could actually make it as a functional member of their society. He’d been in the upper five percent of his year, he’d gotten top scores in all OWLS and NEWTS. His record had been clean and glowing with remarks and references. None of that had mattered in the immediate community outside of Hogwarts.

            After having door after door slammed in his face, sometimes literally, he’d approached his former headmaster for advice. In his wisdom, Dumbledore had suggested muggle education, seeing as they had a natural blinder to anything supernatural and wouldn’t immediately see his scars and assume that he was a werewolf. Remus was grateful that he hadn’t been immediately slotted into service as an Order operative, which he would have done as asked out of sheer obligation. They had discussed that as well, the possibility of it at least. In the end, he’d received the help he needed to actually make a life that didn’t entail severe poverty and life as a reviled outcast.

            “We just need to get some sort of understanding,” Madame Bones was saying now, leaning a casual hip against the desk in the corner. Everyone took seats where they could find them, Sirius pulling Remus down into the chair beside him, keeping their hands linked. “The sort of raw power used is something we have rarely seen in someone so young. She is nearly five years, isn’t she?”

            Remus bristled. “She’ll hit her fourth year in March. I will not allow her to be experimented on-”

            “No one is going to experiment on your girl, Lupin,” Moody cut in almost impatiently, but there was a glint to the older man’s eye that said they’d have to go through him first. As unlikely as it seemed, he'd been the one Sirius had in mind to help Maggie with her occulmancy shields. Over the last month, he'd been working with her and slowly building the walls she would need as she grew. For her part, Maggie had taken to the rough man near immediately. It had shocked the hell out of Remus, who had been expecting to have to intervene eventually. When it was time for her lessons, Maggie went eagerly to greet her friend. It said a lot about whatever lurked under Moody's tough outer later.

            “If that’s not the reason, then why even come in here to ask questions? We don’t have any answers that would help.”

            “How about we see what kind of questions they have, and then go from there?” Sirius barely stopped himself from flinching at the scathing look Remus sent his way. This was a surreal turn of personalities; it was usually Remus that had the calm, rational approach while Sirius was the anti-authority ‘fuck off’ persona. He squeezed his husband’s hand when Remus would have pulled away, giving him a significant look. This wasn’t just a random group of people. It was his immediate supervisor/trainer, and the department head, and people they both had good reason to trust.

            “Fine,” he said, still not sounding happy. “I apologize, this has been a rough week.”

            “Understandable, Mr. Lupin-Black,” Madame Bones gave him a sympathetic smile. “I know that if anything happened with any of my nieces and nephews, I would be in the same state of mind. Now, in the interest of getting this done and over with, what do you know about Magdalena’s mother?”

            “Not very much, to be honest,” Remus answered, a little surprised. His eyes went dark and dangerous at the mention of the woman that had so grossly neglected and abused his daughter. “Her name is Martha Greene, she is of wizarding descent, and a horrid mother.”

            “Horrid in what way?”

            “When we gained custody of Maggie,” Sirius stepped in to answer, his own expression sour. “She was malnourished, filthy, and covered in bruises and scrapes. She was mostly nonverbal for the first three weeks in our care, and was terrified of women.”

            “We took her to Madame Pomfrey at Hogwarts,” Remus added, glancing over at Dumbledore, who smiled and nodded. “She did health and magic scans, and as she’s listed as our primary healer, I think she still has the records.”

            “With your permission, we’d like to look over those records.” Madame Bones noted the closed off expression on Remus’s face and was quick to assure, “No one is going to interfere with your parenting, Mr. Lupin-Black, that’s not what we’re about. The level of power young Magdalena showed is unheard of. I don’t think you quite understand the magnitude of what transpired with your daughter and Rabastian Lestrange. He is completely incoherent, delirious and sporting a severely damaged magical core. There are few curses that could render this type of injury, but they’re of a master level and not found in untrained wizards. As an executive order, I’ve placed this under a need to know basis. Your privacy is paramount and I genuinely don’t intend on making your lives any more complicated than they already are.”

            “I don’t want any official records of this,” Remus said firmly. “If I allow this investigation, I don’t want my daughter to be on any sort of _lists_.”

            Sirius nodded, realizing that now was the time for him to stand next to Remus on protecting Maggie. “I agree, Madame Bones. No disrespect intended, but I don’t want Maggie to grow up with a stigma attached to her, no matter how it’s phrased. We want her to grow up as normal and safe as possible. With the growing war, we also don’t want to add a bigger target on our family. By acknowledging Mags as a power, or a potential power, it just puts her in more danger.”

            Remus paled, not having thought of that possibility. He had only been thinking of their society’s penchant for casting whatever they didn’t understand into a feared outsider category. He didn’t want that life for her, not while he could prevent it. Maggie had taken out one of Voldemort’s lieutenants, at least according to the intel they’d been able to gather about the Death Eater ranks.

            “That is one of the most important reasons we feel the need to understand what happened and how. According to our sources, the entire Lestrange household is in with the Dark Lord. Rumors have already started, and being that you’re a Black, Sirius, it could escalate faster than we can control.”

            Remus felt like he was going to be sick. “All right, I’ll cooperate. But if there is any sign of-”    

            “We won’t allow anything to happen to Magdalena, Remus,” Dumbledore promised, speaking up finally. “There will be safeguards put in place and we will protect your family.”

            Why wasn’t that in the least bit reassuring?

*~*~*

            “We need to make a contingency plan,” Remus stated the moment they were back in Maggie’s room and alone with Lily. Quickly casting silencing spells and a rather paranoid anti-spy charm, he went to check his daughter over physically, almost compulsively. He felt as if the walls were closing in on him and the vague enemy was starting to take shape right outside the flimsy barrier of the hospital sanctuary. A sanctuary that was poorly and reluctantly given.

            “Moony-,” Sirius started, his own worry pushed aside for the moment as he recognized the signs of high alert panic. It was all too much, and it was pushing on Remus’s already thin control. He stepped in and deliberately stopped Remus from reaching for the satchel to start frantically packing whatever belongings they had brought into the hospital with them. “Moony, stop. Listen to me, it’s-”

            “If you tell me it’s going to be all right, I may actually have to slap you,” Remus told him in a low growl. He tried to shrug off Sirius’s grip on his forearms. “It isn’t going to be all right, Sirius, and we have to go.”

              He turned to look at Lily, who was standing awkwardly by Maggie’s bed, looking uncertain. “Lily, can you get James out of whatever meetings he has going today? I want all of us ready to-”

            “Remus, you need to listen to me,” Sirius tried again, hardening his tone to try to get through the fight or flight instinct his husband had fallen into. He gave him a little shake, bringing Remus’s eyes back to his face. “We need to go about this logically, yeah? If we just take off without a plan or a place to go, it’s going to blow up in our faces. We _will_ end up in a worse situation than we’re facing now. We have some time, Moons.”

            Remus shook his head, but he closed his eyes and tried to take a calming breath. His heart was racing and he could feel the cold sweat dripping down his spine. He knew he was overreacting spectacularly, but everything had been building up to this moment. The thought that all of them were in the direct line of fire of the Death Eaters, or soon would be, was unacceptable.

            “Moony?” The uncertainty in Sirius’s voice made him force the roiling panic down. He couldn’t lose it now, not when there were others depending on him to not be a raging lunatic.

             “Yeah.” Remus let out an unsteady breath and pulled Sirius to him, bringing their foreheads together and inhaling the comforting scent of his pack. “I’m sorry.”

              “No reason to apologize.” It seemed to Remus like this was an ongoing loop between them and felt guilt creep into the cauldron of emotions stewing.

              “Yes, there is,” Remus argued softly, keeping his eyes closed as he let Sirius’s presence calm him. “I’m not making things any easier by throwing fits and acting like a complete nutter. You’re right and I can’t keep from making a total arse out of myself.”

            “You’re right, though, Moony,” Sirius told him gently, stroking a hand over the back of Remus’s head, trying to soothe both of them. “We need a contingency plan, and as soon as Mags is completely cleared, we all need to discuss our options at home. One worry at a time, all right?”

            Remus nodded and opened his eyes again, the irises back to their normal golden green. “Was there any change while Lily and I were gone?”

            Sirius’s face lit up as he reported, “She moved and spoke to me! It wasn’t much and she went right back to sleep, but she’s going to be all right.”

            Remus felt his knees go weak with relief and he gripped Sirius with a fierce desperation. “Thank Merlin. Oh, gods.”

            Lily’s smile ghosted across her face as she watched them, a hand soothing the small bump of her stomach. She didn’t know what the ministry and Dumbledore had wanted to discuss with her friends, but Remus’s reaction had frightened her. As much as it went against her nature to turn her back on the war effort and doing whatever she could to stop the Hitler-esque Dark Lord, if it got put to a vote, she would be with Remus. Her small family was more important and keeping them safe was priority.

            It would be difficult for James and Sirius to move completely into the muggle world, but she had no doubt that they would adjust. She retook her seat in the chair beside the sickbed and took Maggie’s tiny, cool hand in hers. She looked over the girl’s sleeping features and knew that keeping her safe was far more important, despite what Dumbledore and the Order were advocating. They had their own propaganda they were pushing, and James and Sirius were right in the thick of it. Remus had escaped being pushed into the frontlines by the sudden appearance of parenthood. The boys would have argued with her if she were to speak up about it, so she kept that observation to herself.

            Their headmaster would have dangled the prospect of muggle education and success without prejudice like a carrot in front of a fucking horse. Once Remus actually believed it was possible, that carrot would have been jerked just a little out of reach. _Help us, Mr. Lupin. We have this mission for you, Mr. Lupin. Look how much we’ve done for you. As soon as you’re home again, you may return to your studies. As someone with your_ talents _, you’re the only one that can pull this off._ Lily knew the score, better than her boys. If it hadn’t been for Maggie, Remus would have taken whatever assignments given, no matter the cost because deep down, he still believed the rubbish that had been lobbed at him from the time he’d been old enough to understand the hate.

            “I can take a turn here with Mags, Lily, if you and Sirius want to go back home for a bit,” Remus was saying now and she blinked up at him, her train of thought interrupted.

            “I’m all right,” she said, then looked the two of them over slyly, “More than all right. Why don’t I take a turn staying while the two of you go home together for a nip. If there’s any change, I’ll message. It’s quiet here and James will meet me here when he’s done at work. You guys can relieve us for dinner.”

            Remus looked like he was going to argue, but Sirius squeezed his hand and stopped him. “Thank you, Lils. We’ll keep the mirror open.” After pressing kisses to Maggie’s cheek, the men went through the door and Lily was left alone with her dark thoughts.

 

*~*~*


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Better late than never, right? :D There's sexing at the very beginning of this, so if you don't like it, you can skip about halfway down and be good. Thank you guys for reading this, and as always, comments are totally welcome. Cheers and Happy (Late) Halloween!

*~*~*

 

            The moment the front door was closed behind them, Remus found himself shoved back against the solid wood, one firm hand buried in the hair at the nape of his neck, and a denim-clad thigh pressed between his legs. Insistent lips nibbled at his until he opened up and the taste of cinnamon and tobacco made him whimper in the back of his throat. Sirius shoved at his jacket with his free hand, stopping when Remus shrugged the material off his shoulders and onto the floor. He jumped when cold fingers slipped under his jumper and t-shirt, skating across ribs as it went directly for a sensitive nipple.

            Tearing his mouth away to gasp in air, Remus started to speak, then promptly forgot his words when Sirius cupped him through his jeans, massaging the rock hard bulge. Between one blink and the other, they were suddenly upstairs in their master bath. Stumbling a bit at the sudden change in location, he still wasn’t given any time to think, or even react more than just small gasps and noises. The water in the shower sprang on, as well as the tap in the bath.

            A murmur and they were both bare, and Remus’s back was against the cold tile and his head thrown back as Sirius’s mouth blazed a hot trail straight down his center. “Sirius,” he gasped, unable to articulate anything more. His hand grasped silky hair and he held on as he was taken in with a fervor that bordered desperation. He didn’t know who’s desperation it embraced more- his or Sirius’s.

            Before he could be drawn into orgasm, Remus pulled his lover up and caught his mouth with his own. “I want to feel you,” he murmured against the side of Sirius’s neck, sucking the skin, tasting the salty tang of sweat. “I want you to take this awful unsettled feeling and make it go away. I want you to make my mind stop, just for a little while.”

            Sirius shuddered as the words fell over him in hot wave and gripped Remus’s hips, fingers biting in. This wasn’t the first time Remus had bottomed, but it was rare as both men usually preferred the opposite. He moved them further into the large shower, adjusting the water flow so that it was pounding gently down on the tiled bench seat.

            Sitting, he drew Remus over him, those long legs encasing his thighs as their bodies came together. The lubrication spell, handy as always, caused Remus’s skin to ripple with surprise and a whimper left his throat as he squirmed just a little. Even as Sirius was reaching between them and under to slip fingers into that warm, rarely touched place, Remus was gripping him firmly and easing himself down without preparation. Sirius went very still, his entire being focused on his husband, watching the muscle tick in his jaw and his eyelids flutter at the intensity of the moment.

            “Rem- oh, Merlin, Moony, you’re not-” Breathless, Sirius tried to argue half-heartedly, afraid he was going to hurt him. “You’re not r-ready.”

            “Shut up,” Remus breathed into his ear, pressing his cheek against the side of Sirius’s as he slid down completely. “I need this, please, Padfoot. I need to be grounded in the now, please.”

            “Yes,” Sirius groaned as Remus lifted his hips and then brought them back down again, taking him in ever deeper. Soon, he was building a rhythm, but Sirius knew that it wasn’t sustainable, not this close to the full moon; not with Remus’s joints the way they were. In a surge of motion, he stood and turned them so that Remus was braced against the bench, hands pressed against the tiled shower wall.

            Trying to control his trembling, he slipped two fingers back inside, feeling Remus clench around him invitingly. At the low, needy sound, Sirius tried to slow the pace a little, to ease the urgency. His husband wasn’t having any of it. “Sirius, fuck me, please.” The desperation in his broken voice spurred him into action and he lined himself back up and started a brutal pace that rocked both of them.

            One arm braced across Remus’s chest, holding his spine against the sweaty line of Sirius’s chest and at one point, Remus had lifted his leg to rest on the bench to give his partner an easier angle. His eyes were closed and all he could feel was Sirius and the hot water all around him. It was all he could smell, all he could taste, all he could process. Everything else was gone as he lost himself completely.

            Afterward, clean and mostly sated, Sirius cradled him in the bath as he cried.

*~*~*

            “I don’t think I have ever seen a cuter costume in my life!” Maggie blinked at the enthusiasm lobbed at her from the pink witch behind the counter. She shrank into her Papa’s side and clutched at the small plastic pumpkin that she was supposed to be collecting candy in. It was two weeks after she’d been released from St. Mungos, and while she was mostly back to normal now, it seemed as if she were easily overwhelmed and tired out. Madame Pomfrey had assured them that it was completely natural and they should be grateful for the progress she’d shown so far.

            “Would you like a lollipop?” The witch held out a huge bowl of treats, her young face beaming down at the girl, not put off by the shy distrust. Sirius grinned and took one for her, dropping it in the mostly-full pumpkin. “She really is the cutest. We’ve had scores of kids coming in, but this is the first Raggedy Ann I’ve seen.”

            It was Halloween night, and James and Sirius had insisted on taking Maggie out trick-or-treating once Lily and Remus had let it slip about the muggle tradition. Remus, still in his overprotective mode, hadn’t liked the idea at all, but once Lily had gotten in on the urging, had finally relented with a few stipulations added. As a result, this was the largest group of wizards to ever go trick-or-treating in residential London.

            Molly Weasley had been ecstatic at the idea, running with it and organizing the few parents in the Order to get costumes together. Moody had been roped into unofficial security detail, as had Kingsley Shacklebolt, the two going around the outskirts to scope out the decided route. The adults had taken to the costume idea wholeheartedly, meaning to reconvene back at Sirius and Remus’s house afterward for a more adult party with food, drinks, and a Samhain bonfire where their usual rituals could take place.

            The idea for Maggie’s costume had come from Lily, who was enamored with the muggle storybooks about the doll and her adventures. As a result, Fred and George had both insisted on going as Raggedy Andy, the two boys not really having to do much but paint the two dots of red color on either cheek and don the hand-sewn overalls their mother had put together. As a trio, they were unstoppable, gathering more attention and compliments than the other children. Not that any of them minded. It was obvious that they were having a blast gathering candy and seeing the muggle world in such a way. Right at the moment, they’d split up so Sirius could buy a pack of cigs while the rest of them continued on. Outside, Nym and Bill (a classic, green faced, wart-nosed witch, and a muggle cowboy) were comparing pumpkins, already exchanging one candy for the other. Nym had an advantage over her wizarding peers, being familiar with the muggle candies. Idly, Remus hoped that she wasn’t swindling the poor boy.

            Remus scooped Maggie up, recognizing the signs that his daughter was done. Maggie held out her pumpkin to her Papa and the men exchanged a soft smile as he took it. “What do you say, Mags?” Sirius asked, and was rewarded with a mumbled ‘ _thank you’_ as her thumb made its way back into her mouth.

            “Well, you’re welcome,” the clerk chirped and held out the bowl to the two adults with a wink, “You blokes should take one too. Can’t be easy rallying so many monsters, yeah?”

            Sirius took a red one with an exaggerated gratitude that made her giggle, while Remus turned it down with gentle shake of his head. “We’ve got help somewhere.”

            After they left the store, it was pretty obvious that it was time to call it a night for trick-or-treating. Hyped up on sugar and excitement, the ranks of children were devolving into shrieks and squabbles, getting increasingly difficult to keep contained. James looked as if he were having the time of his life and swooped in to take Maggie from Remus, settling the tot on his shoulders for the walk home. He was dressed as a pirate, Captain Hook to be precise, with eye-patch, charmed peg-leg, and magically grown out hair that he pulled back into a low ponytail. The parrot hadn’t lasted long at all, maybe an hour before Lily had transfigured it back into the teacup it had started from.

            Lily, herself, had decided to go as Wendy Darling and had done her very best to convince Sirius to go as Peter Pan. It had been working until he’d seen the costume and realized that hose was a part of it. Instead, he’d gone as one of the Lost Boys, which could be punked up and revised to suit his needs. Remus hadn’t wanted to dress up at all, claiming that he was perfectly fine going as a werewolf during the non-full moon days of the month. No one had been amused and he’d finally relented to letting Lily splatter him with fake blood, rip up one of his old shirts, and put fangs in his mouth. As a vampire, he figured it was easy enough, though he’d been worried that Maggie would be scared of him.

            She hadn’t been, though he’d given the Weasley twins a turn when they showed up at his doorstep. Lunging out with a roar, he’d sent them screaming back to their mother and siblings, who were a bit slower coming up the walk. After they’d realized it was only Remus, they’d come clambering back with howls of laughter and requests for him to do it again.

            Now as they all walked back toward his neighborhood, Remus leaned into his husband’s side and surveyed the gentle chaos around them. When Sirius lifted his face, he couldn’t resist a quick, discreet kiss. He was brought up short by a familiar, shocked voice, “Remus?”

            He immediately groaned and rested his forehead against the side of Sirius’s temple. “Annie,” he said, forcing a smile as he looked toward the girl that he’d had to let down a few months back. She was dressed as Alice in Wonderland and was holding hands with a tall bloke dressed as a humanized White Rabbit. She eyed his proximity to Sirius, wide blue eyes narrowing at the possessive way Sirius was pulling him back with an arm around his waist. “Nice to see you out and about. Having a nice night?” When pressed, he could pull off the social niceties, though his stomach was jumping and he was desperately trying not to look around to see where Lily was. Being attached to a bloke without his ‘wife’ could be explained away much easier than to explain why she was completely fine with him snogging someone in the streets where she could see it.

            “Good,” she said thinly, eyes widening again as Sirius rested his chin on Remus’s shoulder, peering at her through a thick fringe of mascara and eyeliner. “Um, Rob, this is Remus, we have some classes together at uni.”

            “Oy! Moony!” James shouted from the end of the block and they all turned to see him and Lily coming back their way, Maggie still on his shoulders, her tiny fingers wrapped in his hair. “Natives’re getting restless, darlings. I want to go home and set something on fire, yeah?”

            Lily recognized the half-panicked look on Remus’s face, just before she noticed the girl from the library. A slow smirk crossed her face and Remus felt his stomach drop. Maggie chose that time to have had enough of her Uncle Jamie and reached for him with a bit of a whine, “Da, I wanna g’home.”

            “What Mags said,” James seconded as he bent down so Remus could take her from his shoulders. “There’s about a gallon of the good firewhiskey waiting and a passel of people about to descend for our party.”

            Settling Maggie on his hip, he resigned himself to whatever kind of fallout was coming from this encounter. Annie was looking over them all with confusion, trying to wrap her brain around exactly what kind of dynamics flowed through the group of adults. Lily made it worse by sliding in closer to James and planting a kiss to his cheek while he rested a hand on the curve of her waist.

            “Sirius Lupin-Black,” Sirius introduced himself just when Remus thought they’d be able to get away without any more awkwardness. He’d put two and two together and wasn’t going to let the opportunity to stake his claim pass him by. “Remus’s husband.”

            “H-husband?” Brows knitting in bewilderment, Annie looked at Sirius’s outstretched hand as if it were a snake coming at her. She took it and gave it a weak shake, seeing the gold glint of the wedding band.

            “Fucking shirt-lifters,” Rob sneered and pulled her back. “I knew letting you go to that bloody place was a bad idea. Come on, Annie. We don’t need to be seen with the likes of them.”

            Lily’s face went red in anger and she took a step toward them as if she were to give the arsehole a piece of her mind. James tugged her back and soothed a hand over her arm. “Come on, let’s get these critters back to the house, yeah? I’m more ready than ever for a drink.”

            Remus locked eyes with Sirius and had to laugh despite the rather unpleasant encounter. “Shirt-lifter? Is that the best he can do?”

            As Maggie settled into his chest for the walk back, Sirius joined him in his tension breaking chuckle. It was past time to go home.

*~*~*


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so, so sorry this took so long!!!! Writer's block and a lack of time has been keeping this thing under wraps. I wasn't quite sure where to take it, but I think I've figured it out. As always, thank you guys so much for reading this and all the support you've tossed my way! Any kind of encouraging words are always welcome and hopefully I'll be getting more chapters out very soon.

*~*~*

            Hope looked out over the overflowing table and tried valiantly to keep the joyous tears from falling. Her son was sitting near the head of the table, next to his husband, looking so achingly young and happy. Remus was smiling, the soft curve of his mouth a beautiful sight. He was responding to a quick comment from James, his eyes glinting with good humor. She watched his hand seek out his partner’s, fingers entwining in a simple gesture. This was what she’d always wanted for him.

            Her little boy had always struggled so hard, it hadn’t been fair. Nothing in his early life had been fair, and with the rise in power of hateful people in wizarding politics, it remained unfair. But she and Lyall and done everything in their power to even it out. He had known nothing but love from them from the time he was born, and that hadn’t deviated when he’d been so horribly changed. Albus Dumbledore had been a godsend when he’d arranged for Remus to be accepted into Hogwarts, and her baby had made them all proud by not only meeting, but exceeding expectations. He had been the top of his class, well liked and if he’d gotten into more than his share of mischief… well… Hope was rather proud of that side of her son too.

            Mischief making meant that he was a healthy boy, with friends. She knew more about his escapades than he or Lyall thought she did, which was fine with her. She halved a buttered dinner roll and handed it to her granddaughter, pressing a kiss to the tot’s curls. Her chest swelled with emotion as she talked to the quiet child amid the chaos of the family dinner. Maggie was content sitting there between her grandparents, the center of their world as her grandfather absently patted her back occasionally while he was engrossed in a rather heated- for him- debate on quidditch with James’s father.

            Hope was drawn into conversation with Euphemia as the other woman commented on the blue and gray dress Maggie was wearing; something Hope had sewn herself. Being a grandmother was the second biggest blessing she could count to date. The first, she thought as she snuck another smiling glance down the table at her son, had been becoming a mother.

*~*~*

            The small group stood at the back of the cemetery and watched as the coffins were lowered into the ground. The rain fell in a deluge around them, turning the grass into a muddy mess. The umbrellas were charmed to keep the wind from blowing them away, and there were drying charms on their coats, but it all seemed to seep in anyway, the chill going bone deep.

            The crowd gathered was minimal, consisting of immediate family and those of the Order not underground. Remus stood with his arm around Sirius’s waist, the two of them huddled together close with Lily and James, who were in a similar locking pattern. Lily was between James and Sirius, the four of them touching in some form or other like a pack of canines taking comfort in their pack. Dumbledore spoke to the gathered families, his tones somber yet carrying. Remus felt as if he’d taken a bludger to the chest.

            Sirius was trembling against him, the fine tremors going straight to his core as his mate tried to keep from breaking the stoic façade that had kept him moving since the news had come in. Marlene had been his work mate, his partner. She’d been a friend to the Marauders through their entire Hogwarts career- quidditch with James and Sirius, dormmate with Lily, and study partner to Remus. There had even been a time, before Remus had realized that he much preferred men to women, and Sirius over anyone else, where she had drug him off to the broom cupboard for a game of ‘let’s make Lupin growl and blush’.

            Marlene had been on a solo mission from Dumbledore, sent into what should have been a harmless stake out of a certain business off the back of Knockturn Alley. No one knew how things went wrong, except they had and her body had turned up on the steps of The Leaky Cauldron, pale and broken two days later. There had been a hastily scribbled note pinned to the lapel of her coat. _‘Better luck next time, chaps. Cheers!’_

            Benjy… _Christ…_ Remus choked on the emotion that swelled. It hurt to even think of him and the pieces stuck together in the box about to be lowered into the ground. He’d just been at the pub with them four nights ago, the three remaining Marauders popping in to catch a drink or two with some of their old friends. Frank Longbottom and the Prewett twins had rounded out the rowdy group. The last he had seen the younger man had been when he and Sirius had nipped out early to take advantage of having the house to themselves for the evening. It hadn’t been five hours later when the Death Eaters had come across the drunken Welshman in the back alley a mere block from his home. The guilt of that was eating at them all.

            There was a muffled cry and their attention was drawn to the front where Gideon and Fabian were ensconced in the middle of their large family, Molly and Arthur standing sans children, flanking the brothers. Gideon was being lowered into a quickly transfigured chair, his skin a chalk white as his twin knelt beside him with complete disregard to the mud soaking into his trousers.

            “Gid had finally gotten his courage up for a ring,” James uttered brokenly, his voice cracking as he held Lily even tighter. Sirius reached out and took his hand.

            Thankfully the service ended not too long after that and everyone moved toward their own homes. There wouldn’t be a wake, not yet. Things needed to settle in a bit more. Adding alcohol to something so bitterly raw seemed to be a very bad idea. As they were leaving, Remus was stopped by Dumbledore calling his name.

            Sirius and Lily stiffened, both seeming to know exactly what the old man was planning. James was too deep in his grief to notice anything off and he just stopped because the others did. His mind had closed down, shuttering the way it did when he was beyond capacity.

            “Mr. Lupin, if I may have a quiet word with you,” Dumbledore approached in his usual graceful gait that never seemed to be off, no matter what the terrain. “I shan’t be more than a couple minutes.”

            “Sure,” Remus agreed and tried not to sigh. He was achingly cold and wanted nothing more than to be home in front of a fire with his family. “You lot go on without me. I’ll be along shortly.”

            “No way in hell, Lupin,” Lily said before Sirius could protest first. “No one’s going off alone, no matter how safe it seems. Whatever Professor Dumbledore needs to say can be said in front of us, yes?”

            Remus was a bit put off by the sharpness under her tone, but couldn’t deny her when she looked so pale and drawn. This had been a horrid day for them all, and Lily hadn’t been feeling well to begin with. Her eyes were bright in the gloom, intense and bloodshot. It really wasn't good for her to be out like this, but none of them had the heart to fight with her on it.

           Dumbledore surprised them all by stating solemnly, “I do believe this should be spoken of in confidence, my dear. If you prefer, you may wait by the gates while I speak with Remus privately. If he feels the need to share afterward, that is to his discretion.”

            It was Sirius’s turn to object, but Remus cut him off with a brief kiss and a slight push toward the gates. “Go on, I’ll be there in a moment, yeah?”

            They all watched with dread filling their stomachs as the old wizard talked to their friend, and Remus’s shoulders slumped lower and lower until he looked like a beaten dog, his head hanging low. Lily felt like screaming, the helpless fury burning her gut as she was powerless to stop whatever spell was being woven around her friend. It was happening. It was fucking happening, just as she’d feared. She’d thought Dumbledore wouldn’t stoop this low, that he wouldn’t do this to Remus just when things were right at his goddamn fingertips. Her fingers clenched uselessly in the pockets of her coat.

            True to his word, it was only a few minutes before their former headmaster clapped Remus on the shoulder solemnly and they parted ways. He rejoined them silently and ignored any entreaties for information. He just murmured a low, “Later.”

            When they arrived home, he disappeared upstairs on silent feet without another word.

*~*~*


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are awesome! :)

*~*~*

            When Sirius found him, Remus was sitting in the upstairs attic room they had intended as a set up for sparring and defense training. It was a huge empty room for the time being, the floors a dull hardwood that lacked the finished polish of the rest of the house. There were boxes piled sparsely around the space, waiting for things to slow down enough for them to work on it. The only saving grace to the cavernous room was the window nook off to the side overlooking their back garden. Built into the natural form of the house was a bench that had been oddly outfitted with cushions and squishy materials that was an obvious hideaway for some former occupant of the household. Knowing it had been in the Black family, Sirius figured that it was almost an obligatory feature to have at least one.

            This was Remus’s spot when he was trying to hide, and honestly the very first place Sirius tried after giving him nearly an hour to stew on whatever Dumbledore had heaped on his plate. Through the years, the former Gryffindor had learned his mate well. Despite being stubbornly obtuse when it suited him, he knew exactly how much time to give his partner, and not a minute more. A stewing Moony was never a good thing. It was always the quiet ones that set fire to the drapes when you weren’t looking.

            He watched Remus for a long minute, seeing the lanky form curled up into as small of a ball as he could manage, arms hugging knees to his chest. It made his heart hurt to see his lover so despondent, to feel the waves of misery nearly pouring off him. There wasn’t any sort of light in the room except what was coming in from the city outside and the gaslights out in the hallway. Sirius lit the lamps on the mantle of the huge fireplace with a wave of his wand and busied himself for a minute with the pre-laid fire that they’d set up what felt like months ago on a whim. By the time he was finished, Remus had turned his attention from the window to him and Sirius felt ill when he saw the silvery trails of tears in the creases of his eyes.

            “I thought for sure you’d be up here demanding answers and forbidding me things long before now.”

Sirius smiled gently and went to take the spot opposite him, curling legs up to sit cross-legged on the cushions.

            “At the ripe old age of nearly twenty-two, I’ve learned a few things, darling.” The grin Sirius shot him was supposed to come out charming and a bit wicked, but it only managed a couple shades shy of melancholy. Remus smiled back at him anyway, reaching out a hand to link their fingers together. “And one of those things is that it’s barmy to forbid you anything. It comes right back to bite me in the arse every time.”

            “Smart man,” Remus whispered, his eyes falling to their joined hands. “Dumbledore wants me to go undercover with the wolves up north. Greyback doesn’t have as much a hand in the packs up there so there’s little chance of me being recognized.”

            “There are so many holes in that idiotic plan,” Sirius immediately jumped in. “Greyback isn’t stupid, and it’s been proven that there’s a communication system in place. The wolves have been rallying behind the Death Eaters because our own fucking ministry has made successful life near to impossible.”

            “I know,” Remus interrupted him when it seemed like he was going to go on. “I didn’t say I was going to accept this mission, love. At least, not as it stands. It would be a suicide mission, and I have too much…” He broke off when his voice cracked with emotion, bringing Sirius’s hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips to his knuckles.

            Sirius couldn’t help the relieved rush of breath he let out when Remus said the last. He had thought he’d have a fight on his hands, and he’d been ready for it. Downstairs, he was sure that Lily was readying herself for a screaming match as well, lining up all the arguments and getting ready to bring out the tears if needed. He was almost ashamed to admit that he was surprised that Remus wasn’t more willing to blindly follow their former headmaster out of sheer obligation.

            “If this had been last year, I may have gone with it,” Remus continued after a moment, dropping their hands back down to rest on the top of his knees. His voice was hoarse and soft, but a bit stronger. His shoulders shuddered with a long indrawn breath. “Before I had Maggie, before I had you. Before James and Lily joined us and we all became a family household. I may have followed wherever Dumbledore led me, because I felt like I needed to do my part, because I owed him, and I owed the side fighting for people like me because despite all the shite he’s spewing to get us on his side, we’ll all be eradicated if the Dark Lord has his ultimate way with things. I saw a side of Dumbledore that I wish I’d never seen.”

            Sirius’s brow creased. “In which way? What did he say to you?”

            Remus shook his head, “That’s not important, Padfoot.”

            “Yes, it is,” Sirius insisted. “It’s very important.”

            “No, love, it’s not. He didn’t say anything out of line. Just heavy manipulation that might have worked once upon a time. Bottom line is, I can’t do what he’s asking. Not as it stands. I haven’t completely said no, but I’m certainly not saying yes. We all need to sit and talk when emotions aren’t running so high.”

            “I don’t like the not saying no part of this,” Sirius told him, but unfolded his legs to make room to pull Remus forward and into his lap. He hugged his husband tight, resting his chin on the top of his head. It was an awkward fit, Remus being the larger of the pair, but they made it work as they always did.

            “Thank you for not making me forbid you things,” he said after a long moment of comfortable silence. Remus’s surprised laugh made him smile and squeeze him a little tighter.

*~*~*

            “You are not going to go off on some insane, half-baked mission for that manipulating son of a troll, Remus Lupin!” Lily pounced on him as soon as Remus and Sirius reappeared downstairs hours later. She had obviously been waiting, the horrible possibilities whirring through her mind and heart the entire time. Remus had braced himself for it before they’d even made the trek downstairs, knowing that she was tightly strung and ready to snap. James stared at him from behind his wife, eyes dark and hollow as he dealt with one more blow lobbed in his direction. It was that look, more than Lily’s near hysteria that made Remus completely commit to the decision he’d discussed with Sirius.

            “Lily-”

            “No! Goddamn it, Remus, you have to think about this! You don’t owe Dumbledore or the order your life! There are other ways to help other than a fucking suicide mission that will leave your daughter a bloody orphan!”

            “Lily, please listen to me,” Remus tried again, but she was on a full rant. Her face was red and her chest was heaving as all of the words she’d been holding in erupted in a burst. She waved her hands in the air as she spoke, slender body swaying with the force of it.

            “Dumbledore has his own agenda, beyond what he’s telling the order. He’s just as much of a mastermind as Voldemort, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees with me. Marlene shouldn’t have gone out on her own. No one should be going into these situations alone, and it was irresponsible for him to send her out as such! My best friend is dead, Remus, and the others are throwing themselves into this mad game as if nothing else fucking matters. I can’t lose you too. Please, don’t make it so that I have to watch them lower you into the mud. I don’t believe I can take it.” Her tirade ended in sobs as she launched herself at him, forcing Remus to brace his feet to catch her.

             He held her tight, burying his face in her hair as his heart broke for the final time that day. “Lils, I’m not going on any missions for the order. I’m not that suicidal, love. Shh, it’s going to be all right.”

            Lily stiffened and pulled back, green eyes bright with tears. “What? Please tell me I heard you right.”

            “I’m not going on any missions for Dumbledore. At least not without heavy planning and many safeguards in place.”

            His attention was brought back to James, who groped for the chair behind him before sitting down heavily, face completely void of color. Sirius went to him, squatting down so that he could make eye contact. “Jamie?”

            Mouth opening and closing a couple times, James shook his head before closing it with a snap. He closed his eyes and bent in half, resting his forehead on the top of his knees. Sirius placed his hands on his best mate’s shoulders and just left them there. “It’s going to be okay, Prongs. Moony’s not going anywhere and we’re going to work it out so it stays that way, yeah?”

            James nodded, but didn’t lift his head up. “I’m so tired, Padfoot,” he mumbled. “So bloody fucking tired.”

            “Then let’s off to bed.”

            James shook his head at the suggestion. “I don’t want to be away from you all. I want Maggie too.”

            “She’s safe at Lyall and Hope’s,” Sirius said gently, pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go into the parlor and stare at the fire for a bit, yeah? I can get us a pot of chocolate and we can just lounge for a while. Moony?”

             Remus nodded and guided Lily into the back parlor they’d turned into a family room with large sofas and overstuffed chairs for nights when everyone was content to stay in and hang out together. With a wave of a wand, the two couches moved together and became one large piece of furniture that all of them could pile up on. Remus tried to ease Lily down and go help Sirius with the tray of drinks, but she clung much like Maggie did when she was out of sorts and didn’t want to let go. After a hesitation, he finally turned and sat, pulling her down with him next to James, who snuggled in as well.

             If he didn’t know them as well as he did and for as long, it may have been awkward. As it was, it hurt a piece of his soul to feel them so insecure and broken. He finally gave in and let their warmth sink into his chilled body, resting his cheek on the top of Lily’s head as she curled up into his chest. Her hand gripped James’s and rested across his stomach, the three of them linked. He watched wearily as Sirius came in with the tray and stood over them with a sad, tender expression on his face. It really had been a very bad day.

            He placed the tray on the low table in front of the sofa and tried to rouse his friends to take their cups. James was actually asleep, his face pressed into Remus’s shoulder, bare feet curled up in an awkward side on the couch beside him. Lily wasn’t much better, her face still red and blotchy from her upset as she rested mostly in his husband’s lap. Instead of being jealous as he might have been when they’d been children. He felt a little like everything was teetering on a ledge and he was about to lose his footing. When Remus looked at him with those wounded eyes, it was all he could do not to break down into sobs.

            Instead, Sirius moved to sit on the floor between Remus’s legs and put his head in his lap, nearly touching Lily’s knee and closed his eyes when he felt long, broad fingers start to card through his hair. The fire that crackled in the hearth was the only sound as the four of them slipped into an exhausted sleep.

*~*~*

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!!! Another chapter! This one contains some Dumbledore bashing, but it's not bashing for the sake of bashing, if that makes any sense... I hadn't intended it to come out this way, but it really works for how I want to proceed, so there ya go. :) Then there's Christmas fluff! Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this.

*~*~*

            His office was quiet as the old wizard stared into the fire, the odd background noise fading into a hum that was mostly a normal comfort. He idly stirred his tea, the presence of the cup a mere prop for the time being. It was there because it was supposed to be. Albus was no more interested in drinking it than he was imbibing the silly muggle candy he kept in a never-ending crystal dish for visitors. Right at the moment, his mind was far from his cozy spot near the fire.

            The Lupin boy was not conforming to the role he’d been assigned. Neither were the Potters or the young Sirius. The timing of Miss Evans’s pregnancy was even off. The prophesy he’d been delivered by Sybil nearly three years past had been very specific on dates, though not much else had been. Albus rubbed at the burning ache in the middle of his forehead as he contemplated his options.

            It had been a calculated risk on his part to set up the players in the prophesy for maximum benefit. He’d understood even as he’d heard the dreamy words spoken that visions of the future weren’t set in stone. So many things had to be taken into consideration. He had felt the stakes in this particular situation were too high not to reorient the players a bit. Of all the candidates, James and Lily Evans Potter were the best bet toward defeating Voldemort, at least for the time being. The combination of the powerful Potter bloodline and the fresh, no less powerful core of magic possessed by Lily Evans would come together to make the perfect weapon to take down their newest Dark Lord once and for all.

            There were unfortunate consequences to this plan of action, casualties that were to be expected. Keeping the full prophesy confidential was prime objective, at least for now. They didn’t have to know that the child was to be born at the end of July… January or February would do just as nicely as long as Tom’s followers were fed the right information.

            _"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...”_

            The key to this was the Dark Lord marking him as his equal, that’s what mattered the most. If Tom _believed_ the Potter child was the one and marked him, then that took all the other variables out and made Albus’s job that much easier. There were many young couples working on the side of light, all of which had defied the Dark Lord more than thrice, the Potters merely one. Merlin, even Arthur and Molly Weasley had defied him, and they had a passel of children, with one more on the way. However, none of their offspring would have the power he could see brewing within Lily Potter’s womb.

            But now, with the Lupin-Blacks and the Potters combining households it would be much, much harder for Tom’s Death Eaters to find a crack in their defenses. As unfortunate as that was, it was necessary. He thought of Remus’s daughter and his sharp mind brought the tiny, pixie of a child to vivid life. If it hadn’t been for her age, she would have been a nice candidate all on her own. He recalled the Lestrange incident and his lips twitched. The boy still wasn’t back to normal, and the healers reported that the more time passed, the less likely it was for his core to repair itself. It was for the best that he was out of the game now anyway. His mind had completely cracked and Azkaban wasn’t doing much to help with that.

            That wasn’t important. What _was_ important, was the fact that a not-yet four-year-old child had enough inherent power to not only free herself from a grown man, but could drain and crack his magical core. Irreparably. He had kept tabs of her own healing progress, noting the way the adults in her life rallied around to keep her safe. As werewolf spawn, she would naturally have defenses most wizarding children didn’t. Little Magdalena had a much bigger chance of surviving an encounter with Tom and his followers than even the as yet unborn Potter child.

            With her fathers out of the way, she would be easily maneuvered into place using her parentage and a carefully placed sense of obligation. There were few in the wizarding world who would come to stand for her, knowing that her father was a dark creature. It was only by his good graces and the quick thinking of Sirius Black that she was even under their loving care. It would be harder to change that now, but it wouldn’t be impossible. Her being older than expected could even be arranged to his benefit, as she’d been born near the time Sybil delivered the prophesy.

            The fire crackled and he was brought out of his thoughts by the chime that let him know the gargoyles had allowed Minerva access to his office staircase. Finally bringing his tea to his lips, he took a fortifying sip and grimaced at finding it cold. Murmuring a light warming spell, he gave it a stir and took another sip. Much better.

             He disliked the term ‘manipulation’. That word implied that it was less than honorable. Whatever actions he was taking now were for the greater good. That’s the way it was during times of war. There must be sacrifices, however regrettable. He mused on his options as his Deputy Headmistress came in looking like a thundercloud. Any actions pertaining to young Magdalena could wait, as there was still time to focus on other avenues. The was a specific need for her kind and he would rather not spend it before the time was right.

*~*~*

            Maggie stared at the sea of evergreen trees surrounding them, her eyes huge as she assimilated all the smells and sights around her. It was the first week of December and time to pick out a Yule tree. Or Christmas, as the majority of their muggle neighbors preferred. With the disillusionment charms on the property, no one really paid attention to them while they were home, but when they were out and about in the neighborhood, all of them were recognized and hailed on friendly terms. It was in turns disconcerting and warming to be included in the muggle community so readily. On the one hand, as social and James and Sirius could be, there was the tiny problem of them being potential targets for the Dark Lord and his henchmen. There was a very real threat of the Death Eaters culling their muggle neighborhood to draw them out.

            Remus felt a measure of guilt for enjoying the normalcy of life with muggles. During the hours he was in classes and interacting with his non-magical peers, he was just another student. No one looked at him sideways, despite the visible scars that had become a permanent reminder of what he was. There may be curiosity, and maybe a hint of pity to their gaze, but there was none of the hate and irrational fear in their expression when they looked a bit too close. So far, there had only been a handful of souls brave enough to openly ask about them. He went with a generic ‘wild dog attack’ excuse and then stated kindly, but firmly that he wasn’t comfortable speaking further of it.

            He’d made a few friends over the last few months, becoming more comfortable with his place among the ‘normal’ students. It had taken a long time for him to become accustomed to the thought that this wasn’t going to be taken away from him. It was real, he was furthering his education in a society that didn’t treat him like he was a monster. There were more issues with him being married with a child. Knowing that it was barely legal for him to be openly gay, he kept that tidbit to himself as much as possible. He didn’t lie. He was just very selective. Through the years he’d gotten very adept at verbal maneuvering.

            The holidays had crept up on all of them while they were looking in more important directions, so when Lily had checked her calendar reminders for her midwife checkup and noted it was already December, she’d insisted on an outing to find a suitable tree. James and Sirius both jumped on the happy distraction with an enthusiasm that bordered desperate. The depressing pall that had descended on them all after Marlene and Benji’s funeral had become a nearly tangible thing.

           They’d decided to all go to a tree farm this year instead of going off on their own to cut one due to security issues. No unnecessary risks, especially over something so trivial. Moody’s mantra of ‘Constant Vigilance!’ was really being taken to heart. Hence the reason there were four wizarding families visiting a muggle Christmas tree farm on the outskirts of London. A visibly pregnant Molly Weasley headed up their portion of the group, directing her tribe of redheads to the perfect tree. Alice drug Frank from tree to tree in a hormonal whirlwind of joyful tears as she periodically allowed him to slow her down with gentle kisses. Her own baby bump wasn’t as pronounced as Lily’s or Molly’s, but it was there, causing the men to joke in a (very) quiet aside that they were a bit on the nuttier side for getting them all together in the same place at the same time.

            Remus watched with a small, soft smile as his parents held hands and walked through the rows of trees. He didn’t think he had ever seen them like this before, both of them smiling and so happy. He felt a pang of regret that he had ever tried to distance himself from them. He’d started to after school and he’d found the shitty job at the market and the equally shitty cottage, not wanting them to know how he was living. It would have broken his mother’s heart and he hadn’t had the courage to look her in the eyes and insist that he needed to do it on his own.

             Maggie was looking around from her perch on Kingsley Shaklebolt’s shoulders, wide eyed and smiling as she gripped the top of the tall man’s hat. Like with Moody, the little girl had taken to him surprisingly fast, having run right into his legs as she’d screamed around the corner running from her Uncle Jamie, who had been play chasing her to cheer himself up. After being scooped up and tickled within an inch of her life, she’d been introduced to her papa’s new work partner. By the end of dinnertime, she’d brought out one of her storybooks for him to read to her, fascinated by the sound of his voice. When Sirius had mentioned it later, the dark skinned man had told them about his little sisters, one of which was near Maggie’s age.

             When Kingsley had heard about their outing, he’d volunteered to come along as an extra set of eyes to keep them all safe. He’d grumbled that a tree for him wasn’t necessary as he had a pair of kneazles that were hell bent on destroying anything even remotely decorative. Sirius had an idea and was determined that his new partner wasn’t going to be leaving without _something_. Maybe a wreath for his door, or maybe a surprise tree warded against toddlers and animals brought to his home when he wasn’t expecting it. It was obvious that the poor man had just given up on any sort of holiday spirit and was most likely using his feline companions as an excuse. Remus could understand where it came from. They all could.

            It was a difficult thing to find the usual joy that came with this time of year. The attacks were coming with more frequency and viciousness and didn’t seem to be slowing as it came closer to the holiday. It was almost as if the Death Eaters were taking sick pleasure in destroying what they could during this particular season. Kingsley and Sirius were seeing the worst of it as their department was designed for muggle damage control. It was bad enough seeing the atrocities done to their own community, which was aware of the dangers and more adept at defending themselves, but to see the muggle families wiped out and tortured with no understanding at all of what was happening and why… That was a special sort of hell to be endured.

            Pushing out all dark thoughts of the war and everything it brought with it, Remus focused on his family and made sure to foster the wonder of sharing this season with his daughter. It was their first Yule together as a family and he wasn’t going to let anything ruin it for her. From her reactions to everything, it was obvious that this was her first experience with these kinds of things, which added to their determination to make it right. No matter what was going on outside their threshold, Maggie was going to have a wonderful Christmas.

            Remus smiled as Maggie reached out one tiny hand to touch the branches of a gigantic evergreen, her face a picture of awe. He accepted the paper cup of hot cocoa Sirius handed him with a brief touch of lips before trading another cup for his daughter, laughing as Kingsley jokingly weighed his options. “I dunno, Black… I’m not sure if I wanna give ‘er up. That’s gotta be a great cup of chocolate,” he laughed, but slid Maggie off his shoulders and to the ground before taking the offered cup with a grin and a thank you.

            “Did you find a tree you liked, Mags?” Sirius nuzzled his cold nose into her rosy cheeks, smiling wide when she giggled and nodded, pointing at the tree they’d just moved away from.

            “That one, Papa,” she told him quietly, speaking close to his ear so he could hear her. “It’s shiny.”

             “Alright, boys and girls,” Sirius called, turning to look at Remus with shining eyes, then around to find Lily and James, who were a bit further down the row, “Miss Maggie has found our tree!”

             “Huzzah!” James cheered and twirled Lily around gently, ever careful of her massive belly. In the last month, the little one had decided to put in a growth spurt and Remus was pretty sure the babe had to be pushing all boundaries just to stay in. Due in January, Lily was more than ready for the entre experience to be over. She looked wonderful, though, her face reddened from being outside, eyes sparkling as she came to inspect the massive tree Maggie had picked out.

              “This is perfect, Mags! Just perfect!” She clapped her hands and held them to her chest. To everyone’s resigned horror, her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip quivered, “Darling, this is just perfect.”

               James pulled her tight and kissed her temple, giving her a gentle squeeze. He was well used to the mood swings by now and had learned a few things about when to ask if she was all right and when to keep his silence. These were good tears, because she was happy. It wasn’t a surprise that of them all, Maggie was the most adept at knowing when her godmother just needed a good snuggle. It had become a thing for the girl to bring a blanket and a book to Lily for some quiet time, usually right when it was needed the most. She’d even become more vocal in asking for a song or a story. Even with her occulmancy lessons, Mags was still incredibly tuned in to the people she loved.

              Right now, Maggie turned her face into her papa’s cheek and smiled. Right at this moment, everything was okay, everyone was happy, and the little blue and purple sparkles in the tree were coming home with them.

*~*~*

            It took less than a week for the adults to realize they’d brought home Christmas imps with their tree. Set up in the corner of their family room, the gigantic evergreen was decorated within an inch of its life, every branch holding some sort of ornament or light. The entire house was one big ball of cheer, boughs of holly and mistletoe hung from the high ceilings and lights were charmed around the windows. Elaborate stockings were hung from the fireplace mantle, along with garlands of discarded branches from their tree. Remus and Lily had helped, of course, but had mostly watched as James and Sirius took their yuletide to an entirely different level.

            Maggie had been wrapped up in the festivities from the word go, the adults around her keeping the activities going. If it wasn’t decorating with Papa and Uncle Jamie, it was baking cookies with Aunt Lily and sitting on Da’s lap as he played the piano for their evening come down. There was story time and visits with her friends, Fred and George, and Bill. The three Weasleys were over at her house a lot to play, but she didn’t go over there too often because as much as she liked Molly and the Burrow, she didn’t feel right being away from home without her fathers or godparents. Her skin always felt too tight and everything seemed a little too noisy and scary.

            She had a feeling that her fathers were a bit relieved that she didn’t want to go without them.

            Her friends in the tree were ecstatic that they’d been brought inside, three little balls of light that changed color randomly as they chittered and hid in the depths. The adults couldn’t see them, but the twins and Bill could, and Maggie introduced them the second day as they played in the family room.

            “Oy! Imps, Maggie,” Fred squealed, clapping his hands. “They’re such fun! They like to play tricks, just like us!”

            Oh, no. Maggie felt her heart sink a little. Papa and Uncle Jamie loved tricks and playing pranks on each other and Da, but Aunt Lily wasn’t as amused by hijinks as she used to be, not with baby Harry getting bigger in her belly. She looked at Bill, the older boy looking amused and not at all worried. As if reading her mind, he assured her, “They’re harmless, Mags. They won’t do anything more than just annoy. We have a pair in the Gryffindor common room, but only the first and a few of the second years can see them. It’s great fun seeing the older kids run around looking for their homework or quills.”

            That night, the tricks started. Maggie woke up to the sound of running feet as Uncle Jamie tried to find a matching pair of shoes. It sounded like someone had randomly vanished one out of every pair he owned. At first, he was irritated because as a non-morning person, any kind of disruption to his routine was met with grumpiness. By the time he got home after an entire day of wearing one brown leather shoe and one black, his good humor had been restored. Of course, no one owned up to it and his shoes weren’t ever recovered. He had to figure out which ones he liked best and transfigure the others to match. Aunt Lily snickered that it did him some good to get rid of some of the extra, calling him a ‘shoe horse’ or something close to it.

            Uncle Jamie was convinced that Papa had been the one to get one over on him and by bedtime he’d charmed a set of brass bells to follow Padfoot around playing his least favorite Christmas song on repeat. He’d stopped when Aunt Lily shot a stinging hex in his direction and told him to stop in ‘that tone’, the one that said he was in big trouble if he didn’t.

            That night, several things happened to everyone and the household was in a complete uproar by the time Maggie woke up. Aunt Lily was shouting at Papa because someone had stuck all of her underthings to the ceiling, along with most of her toiletries and she knew it couldn’t have been Uncle Jamie because he was a bit scared of her while she was so hormonal. Uncle Jamie was mad because his hair potion turned his dark hair Weasley red and it wasn’t going back to normal. This, he blamed on Da, who was upset over honey being poured over the keys of the piano and into the stack of music books left on the top. Da didn’t care who did it, he was just angry because it was an expensive mess to clean up and Uncle Jamie was being a prat over something he didn’t do.

            Papa was really quiet through all of it, staring up at the brooms lazily flying by themselves up near the ceiling. All of a sudden, he barked, “Everyone! Shut up!”

            All of the squabbling stopped and the other three adults turned to look at him, mouths clicking shut. “I think I know what’s up here. No,” he held up a hand to stop Aunt Lily when she started to demand what he was talking about. Then he looked over at Maggie and she felt her heart sink into her stomach. He didn’t look mad, but she just knew she was going to get in trouble. She tried not to flinch when he came and knelt down in front of her perch on the window seat. His expression softened when he saw that she was worried. “Hey, Mags, do you remember the lights you saw in the tree when we picked it out?”

            All of a sudden, Aunt Lily started to laugh, making Maggie jump. She turned frightened eyes to her godmother and relaxed just a little when she saw genuine amusement. “Imps! Bloody hell, I should have known!”

            After a moment, all of them were laughing, even Da, who was still all sticky from trying to clean up the honey. “It’s okay, Mags,” Papa assured her, pulling her in for a hug. “It’s okay, darling. You’re not in trouble, and neither are your ‘friends’. We just need to find them a home outside. We can make them a house in the tree in the garden, how does that sound?”

            Maggie nodded, but was still too jumpy to really smile. It was only when her Da came and pulled her into a cuddle that she finally knew everything was all right. Papa and Uncle Jamie both took the day off work and they spent it making a huge birdhouse type structure for the imps, then charmed it into the lower branches of the massive oak in their back garden.

 

*~*~*


End file.
